On Friday, Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, dismissed what he called “unfounded” accusations of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
This came in response to a report released by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Wednesday, which claimed that Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza amounted to genocide.
Miller stated that the US fully supports Israel on this issue and declined to discuss potential war crimes Israel may have committed. He also accused Albanese of making antisemitic statements.
“We have stated clearly that we believe allegations of genocide are baseless. However, we are deeply concerned about the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza. That’s why we have urged the Israeli government multiple times to minimise civilian casualties,” he added.
Albanese’s report, presented at a news conference at the UN Geneva Office, addressed Israel’s attacks on Gaza. She claimed to have prepared the report after closely monitoring Israel’s actions in the enclave since October 7.
Albanese argued that there were compelling reasons to believe Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. She highlighted what she called Israel’s “chilling” intent to systematically eradicate a significant portion of Gaza’s population.
Albanese accused Israeli soldiers and officials of distorting legal principles by engaging in violence, genocide, and attempted extermination against Palestinians. She concluded by stating that Israel was implementing a policy of genocidal violence against Palestinians in Gaza.
