The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, called for the suspension of “Israel’s” membership in the UN General Assembly and for its cultural and political boycott, against the backdrop of what she described as the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Albanese criticized allowing “Israel” to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, considering this to be inconsistent with the scale of the crimes committed. She stressed that the boycott should not be limited to the cultural sphere, but should be accompanied by political and legal steps at the international level, stating: “Israel” is an illegal occupying power and an apartheid state, and it faces legal proceedings before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

In July of last year, the United States imposed sanctions on Albanese, who documented what she described as the genocide committed by “Israel” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in several reports, and called for the prosecution of the entities and individuals involved.