UN calls to exclude Israel from the Council of Europe
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, called for Israel's exclusion from the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly. Albanese stressed that member states of the European organization are legally and morally obligated not to provide any support or cover to a state that flagrantly and persistently violates international humanitarian law, noting that continuing to grant the occupation observer status is completely at odds with the founding principles of the Council and human rights values.
Legal background supporting the decision to exclude Israel from the Council of Europe
This prominent human rights appeal comes at a time when the Israeli occupation is facing unprecedented international criticism. Israel currently holds “observer status” in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a status granted to only a limited number of non-European states, such as Canada and Mexico. However, this status is now seriously threatened following the Israeli Knesset’s passage of legislation that paves the way for imposing the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners.
The abolition of the death penalty is a fundamental and mandatory condition for joining the Council of Europe or maintaining any official status or partnership within its institutions. The Council, established after World War II to safeguard democracy and the rule of law, comprises a parliamentary assembly of 612 parliamentarians representing 46 member states, making the adoption of the death penalty by any partner state a direct violation of the organization's founding charter.
Double standards and shocking UN reports
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese criticized what she described as the “selective approach” and double standards in dealing with humanitarian issues and human lives within European institutions. She explained that the Israeli occupation directly benefits from this political selectivity to evade punishment and international accountability for its ongoing crimes.
Albanese had published a comprehensive human rights report in which she concluded with evidence that Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories amounted to granting the occupying authorities “a de facto license to torture and abuse Palestinians,” which constitutes a flagrant violation of the Convention against Torture and related international treaties that form the core of international law.
Political dimensions and expected diplomatic effects
Historically, the Council of Europe has taken decisive stances against states that violate its fundamental principles, most notably suspending Russia's membership and then expelling it entirely following the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis. Based on this precedent, responding to calls for the expulsion of the occupying power could constitute a significant diplomatic blow, further isolating it internationally and placing its European allies in a difficult position before global public opinion.
At the regional and international levels, observers believe that this move puts European governments to a real test of their commitment to the humanitarian values they advocate, and motivates diplomatic and economic boycott movements in various international forums to pressure for an end to the occupation and a halt to the ongoing violations against the Palestinian people.
