Francesca Albanese to contribute to Corbyn 'Gaza tribunal' on UK complicity in genocide

The UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese will take part in a tribunal to determine the extent of the UK's complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

Organised by former Labour party leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, the two-day unofficial event will feature surviving Palestinian victims of Israeli atrocities, as well as experts in international law.

Albanese's involvement was confirmed by Corbyn during an appearance by the veteran politician at a fringe event at the Edinburgh festival on Saturday. 

The UN special rapporteur will be asked for comment on the use of RAF bases in Cyprus to help Israel's military.

Set to take place in September, the tribunal follows Corbyn's unsuccessful attempts to pass legislation in parliament for an independent public tribunal.

Those attempts were blocked by the ruling Labour party.

The UK has been a key backer of Israel during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, first under the Conservative government and later under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, which took up power in 2024.

While still leader of the opposition, Starmer initially supported Israel's policy of deliberately starving Gaza's civilian population by not allowing food, water, or electricity into the besieged enclave.

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Labour has since softened its stance by calling for a ceasefire and for the resumption of aid into Gaza.

Nevertheless, the UK continues to provide military aid to Israel, primarily through the form of real time intelligence sharing through surveillance flights over the strip.

The International Court of Justice has determined there is a plausible case that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.

Corbyn hopes the tribunal will follow the same mould as earlier inquiries into the UK's role in the invasion of Iraq.

When announcing the tribunal at the beginning of July, Corbyn said: “Just like Iraq, government ministers are doing everything they can to hide the truth. Just like Iraq, they will not succeed.

“They cannot stop the inevitable: a full and independent inquiry. We will uncover the full scale of British complicity in genocide - and we will bring about justice for the people of Palestine.”