Francesca Albanese urges Ireland to show spine on Palestine

She said other countries should follow suit

The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has urged Ireland to challenge Israel and show its spine during its EU presidency.

As she addressed the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on Tuesday, Albanese said Ireland has a rare chance to confront Israel's conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The EU, Albanese said, is "complicit with what Israel is doing with the colonisation of what remains of Palestine."

On the other hand, Ireland should convince fellow member states to "decisively change course if they are to preserve the international legal order", she added.

What did Francesca Albanese tell the Oireachtas committee?

The rapporteur described an escalation in violence against Palestinians that she said goes beyond extermination.

As the Irish Times reported, she told the committee: "It's deeper. It's destroying the people, the living."

She said testimonies from survivors describe torture and "rape by dogs trained in European countries."

Albanese also added that European firms were "profiting from selling dogs that will rape people," and criticised states for jailing people who speak out against the system instead of addressing it.

The hearing fell in the same Oireachtas term that has spent recent weeks on Budget 2027 , where Fine Gael is hinting a fuel excise cut is staying.

Why Ireland's EU presidency matters to Albanese

As Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, it gives the country influence over the bloc's agenda.

And according to Albanese, Ireland showing spine now would encourage other states to act in the same way.

Irish politicians have raised rights concerns with Brussels in the past too.

In another case of Oireachtas figures pressing ministers on matters with an EU dimension, Irish MEPs have also written to the Health Minister over AI chatbots directing women in crisis to anti-abortion websites.

Who is Francesca Albanese?

Francesca Albanese is the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

She addressed the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on Tuesday 3 November.

Why does Albanese say she is at risk?

As she spoke to the committee, Albanese said that people had entered her home a month earlier while her children were sleeping.

She said she was risking her life and that of her family to speak out, but wanted to at least "tell the truth."

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