International Peace Moot on Gaza Planned with Key Participants
Albania and Romania are set to attend an upcoming Gaza peace board moot, where an Israeli minister will participate instead of Netanyahu. The conference aims to address the ongoing conflict, with Italy attending as an observer and former US President Trump urging Hamas towards disarmament.
16 Feb, 02:59 — 16 Feb, 03:08
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Fury mounts over ‘false’ claims against UN rapporteur
• Media reports confirm Francesca Albanese never called Israel ‘common enemy of humanity’ • Amnesty chief brands European ministers’ refusal to retract ‘political cowardice’ • French lawyers file criminal complaint against Barrot over false statements • Ruffalo, Bardem among over 100 celebrities rallying behind UN expert • OIC warns fabricated claims risk undermining credibility of UN Human Rights Council TOP European government officials who led a smear campaign against United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, have failed to apologise or withdraw their calls for her resignation, even after multiple reports confirmed the allegations were based on a fabricated quote. France 24 and Reuters verified that Albanese did not describe Israel as the “common enemy of humanity” during a forum in Qatar earlier this month, an allegation levelled by Israeli officials and echoed by European ministers. Transcripts of the event show she was referring to a global system of finance and weaponry. Yet diplomats from France, Germany and other nations have so far declined to correct the record. Amnesty International has demanded that European states immediately withdraw their accusations. Its secretary general, Agnès Callamard, said ministers in Austria, Czechia, France, Germany and Italy had attacked Albanese on the basis of a “deliberately truncated video” that gravely misrepresented her remarks. “The ministers that have spread disinformation must act beyond merely deleting their comments on social media — as some have done,” Callamard said. “They must publicly apologise and retract any calls for Francesca Albanese’s resignation.” She described the refusal to issue corrections as political cowardice, pointing to the stark contrast between the speed with which governments condemned a UN expert and their reluctance to hold Israel accountable for actions Amnesty has characterised as genocide and apartheid. Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation added its voice to the chorus of condemnations. In a statement, the bloc said the allegations were “based on misrepresented and fabricated claims” regarding remarks the rapporteur neither made nor endorsed. The OIC warned that distorting the statements of UN mandate holders risked undermining the integrity of the Human Rights Council. Albanese also responded to the diplomatic fallout directly. Addressing the controversy, she clarified that her speech in Doha had identified the “common enemy” as the system enabling violence, specifically “financial capital”, “algorithms” and “weapons”. “A lie was exposed. Instead of retracting it, the SYSTEM that enabled the genocide, attacks the messenger,” Albanese wrote on X. “France knows it stepped in something foul, but pride forbids correction.” She noted that three European governments had accused her with a “virulence” they never applied to the perpetrators of violence in Gaza, where the death toll has reportedly surpassed 72,000. Legal complaint filed in Paris Legal pressure is now mounting in France over the government’s refusal to correct its public statements. Middle East Eye reported that Jurdi, the Association of Lawyers for the Respect of International Law, had filed a crime report with the Paris public prosecutor accusing the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, of disseminating false information by a public authority. Barrot told the French parliament that Albanese had made “outrageous and reprehensible remarks”, claiming she had targeted Israel as a nation. Jurdi argues that because the verified transcript proves otherwise, the minister’s statement makes up a misrepresentation that could endanger the UN expert’s safety. Support for Albanese also comes from the cultural sphere. According to AFP, over 100 figures from the entertainment industry — including actors Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon and Javier Bardem — have signed an open letter defending her work. The letter, organised by Artists for Palestine, said the rapporteur was being targeted for her defence of Palestinian rights. Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026
By none@none.com (Agencies | Monitoring Desk)
Read at source →Albania, Romania ready to attend upcoming Gaza peace board moot
• Israel minister Saar to participate instead of Netanyahu; Italy to be there as observer • Trump urges Hamas to move forward with disarmament TIRANA: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will travel to Washington next week to join the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, he told a podcast on Sunday. “I will be in Washington for the official creation of the peace council and the launch of the activities of this council,” Rama said in an interview with Albanian podcast Flasim. The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, but its charter appears to extend beyond the Palestinian territory. The first meeting is scheduled to take place on February 19 in Washington. Permanent members of the “Board of Peace” must pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council. Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the WEF in January, and at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter. Some countries — including Croatia, France, New Zealand and Norway — have already declined to join it, and others have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed. Rama has previously said his country would not pay to be permanent members of the initiative. “Albania has the privilege of being a founding state, and it will not contribute financially to join or remain as a permanent member,” Rama said on Sunday. Romanian President Nicusor Dan also announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US president’s “Board of Peace”. “Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X. “Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday. Netanyahu won’t attend Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend next week’s Gaza Board of Peace summit in Washington, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar set to represent the country instead, officials said. The statement was issued as Netanyahu departed for the US, where he met Trump and signed on as a “Board of Peace” member. Italy will also participate as an observer in the “Board of Peace”, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed on Sunday, Anadolu reported. Speaking in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Meloni said Italy had received an invitation to attend in observer status and would respond positively. She noted that constitutional constraints prevent Italy from formally joining the body. Meanwhile, Trump asked Hamas to move forward with disarmament under his plan for post-war Gaza, and said peace board members pledged $5bn to the Palestinian territory’s reconstruction. “Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarisation,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, ahead of a Feb 19 meeting of the board in Washington. He added that member states of the “Board of Peace” had “committed thousands of personnel” to join the International Stabilisation Force. Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026
By none@none.com (Agencies)
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