About the Book
'Albanese is perhaps the one figure of our times that future historians will recall as the one who did the most to redeem our generation from its guilt over the genocide of the Palestinian people. Her reflections in this book are not just timely – they are for the ages' - Yanis Varoufakis
Israel’s genocide in Palestine and the complicity of powerful Western states is undermining international human rights and the UN system. The United States has imposed sanctions on lawyers, UN experts, and Palestinian officials in an attempt to bully and intimidate them into silence. One prominent example is UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who has played an important role in documenting Israel’s atrocities and those who profit from its oppression of Palestinians.
This book compiles Albanese’s indispensable and damning reports on Israel’s conduct in Palestine since October 2023. First outlining the case that this period should be understood as a genocide, Albanese goes on to explain how the ongoing violence fits into a longer history of Israel’s settler colonialism, and finally presents a devastating indictment against the international corporations that treat mass killing and destruction as a business opportunity.
The volume also features a reflection by Albanese on the current state of affairs; revelations by her predecessors Richard Falk, John Dugard, and Michael Lynk of their experiences as UN special rapporteurs; and a preface by Lex Takkenberg, a 30-year veteran of UNRWA, co-authored with scholar Mandy Turner.
The ebook is free to download from www.plutobooks.com indefinitely, with a request for a donation to the Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.
All royalties from sales of the book will be donated to UNRWA.
Table of Contents:
Preface: Bearing Witness at a Time of Genocide. Speaking out against Israel's Atrocities and Western Complicity - Mandy Turner and Lex Takkenberg
Foreword: Sanctioning a UN Special Rapporteur for Truthfully Reporting on the Gaza Genocide and the Complicity of States and Corporations - Richard Falk, John Dugard, and Michael Lynk
Introduction: The Arc of History Bends Towards Accountability Only When We Refuse to Look Away - Francesca Albanese
1. Anatomy of a Genocide
2. Genocide as Colonial Erasure
3. From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide
Biographies
Notes
About the Author :
Francesca Albanese is an international lawyer specialising in human rights and the Middle East. Since 2022, she has served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. An affiliate scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, Albanese is the author of J’Accuse and co-author (with Lex Takkenberg) of Palestinian Refugees in International Law.
Mandy Turner is a researcher based in London. She has held positions as professor of conflict, peace, and humanitarian affairs at the University of Manchester, UK; director of the Kenyon Institute in East Jerusalem; and senior lecturer in conflict resolution at University of Bradford. Her last book was an edited collection From the River to the Sea: Palestine and Israel in the Shadow of ‘Peace’ published in Arabic in 2024 by ACRPS (Doha). She currently writes for Security in Context.
Lex Takkenberg is Senior Advisor on the Question of Palestine at ARDD (Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development) and freelance lecturer at the University of Vienna. From 1989-2019, he worked with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. He is co-author (with Francesca Albanese) of The Status of Palestinian Refugees in International Law.
Mandy Turner is a researcher based in London. She has held positions as professor of conflict, peace, and humanitarian affairs at the University of Manchester, UK; director of the Kenyon Institute in East Jerusalem; and senior lecturer in conflict resolution at University of Bradford. Her last book was an edited collection From the River to the Sea: Palestine and Israel in the Shadow of ‘Peace’ published in Arabic in 2024 by ACRPS (Doha). She currently writes for Security in Context.
Lex Takkenberg is Senior Advisor on the Question of Palestine at ARDD (Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development) and freelance lecturer at the University of Vienna. From 1989-2019, he worked with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. He is co-author (with Francesca Albanese) of The Status of Palestinian Refugees in International Law.
Richard Falk is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Princeton University in the United States. He served as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 from 2008-2012, and is currently Chair of the Gaza Tribunal. He is a prolific writer on international law and global politics; his most recent publication is Genocide in Gaza: Global Voices of Conscience (co-editor with Ahmet Davutoğlu).
John Dugard SC is Emeritus Professor of Law at the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Leiden and a Member of Institut de Droit International. He served as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 from 2001-2008; and currently serves as Legal Counsel, South Africa v Israel (Genocide Convention).
Michael Lynk is Professor Emeritus of Law at Western University in Canada, where he taught from 1999 until his retirement in 2022. He has published widely in the areas of Canadian labour law, human rights law, and international law. He served as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 from 2016-2022.
Review :
'Albanese is perhaps the one figure of our times that future historians will recall as the one who did the most to redeem our generation from its guilt over the genocide of the Palestinian people. Her reflections in this book are not just timely – they are for the ages'
'When I came out of Gaza at the end of November 2023, I discovered that Israel was only the tip of the genocidal iceberg. The rest was the enablement apparatus – a system of states, institutions, and individuals – which ensured the longevity of a genocidal project now into its third year. This book dissects this apparatus, shedding light on its constitutive accomplices'
'Albanese has spoken truth with unflinching clarity in a world largely silent in the face of a holocaust, carrying out her mandate with integrity and defiance that honours both the law and the human conscience. This book is a formidable indictment of injustice and demonstrates what it means to stand alone against power'
'Albanese’s expert analysis sheds light on Palestine’s darkest moment in history. While millions of people formed an unprecedented solidarity movement with the Palestinians, their governments by and large remained indifferent. This book will help to judge those who were on the right and wrong side of history.'
'Francesca Albanese’s compelling work is essential for all who seek truth and justice'
'A scholarly and humane presentation of the indisputable facts of genocide by a courageous defender of universal human rights'
'The message of this important book is powerful. It asserts that only by speaking out and refusing to be intimidated can the arc of history bend toward justice. Albanese documents the role of powerful agents who profit from oppression and, despite threats and sanctions, refuses to be silenced'
'As the world has witnessed the escalating horror in Gaza, Albanese has offered a powerful voice at international level, in condemning the genocide being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people. Her words matter'
'Albanese’s descriptions of the genocide in Gaza, alongside her analyses of Israel’s crimes and those who have been complicit, has set a new benchmark, one marked by lucidity and courage'
'Albanese courageously reminds us that if ‘never again’ is to mean anything, never again is now'
'Francesca Albanese exposes Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the layers of complicity that sustain it – from state power and corporate interests to the quieter endorsement of universities and trade unions. A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness is a vital intervention, compelling readers to demand accountability'
'Few public figures have confronted Israel’s unfolding genocide in Gaza with the courage and clarity of Francesca Albanese. A necessary, urgent, and important contribution to the historical record'
'Albanese is the gold standard for international advocacy, rigorously grounded in international law. She constantly sets the agenda; if you want to know where the discourse goes next, follow her'
'Francesca Albanese has been a light in one of history’s darkest moments. Grounded in international law, guided by a quest for human rights, and undeterred by threats, she has not only meticulously recorded the crimes of a ruthless regime, but has set out a course for justice in their wake'
'In the reports collected here, we see the contours of Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians, its regime of apartheid, and the extensive network of support that bolsters it across the global North. This book is an important document archiving one of the greatest atrocities of our time'
'A crucially important book in which Francesca Albanese argues clearly and unequivocally that unless justice is done, the rules-based order is no more. Francesca, the people’s lawyer globally, understands as intrinsically as Nelson Mandela did that ‘our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people’.'
'At a moment when Israel and its allies work to obscure the truth, this book is a vital, historic record. Francesca Albanese’s reports offer an essential tool for justice, solidarity, and lasting peace'
'This remarkable book is a call for hope and action for humanity. We cannot emerge from this genocide unchanged'
'During the Gaza genocide, Francesca Albanese has become the world’s moral conscience, with profound scholarship and analyses exposing the crimes and complicity of those who have neither morals nor conscience. This book demonstrates why her place in history is assured'
'Francesca Albanese combines legal expertise and commitment to justice with outstanding courage. A most illuminating book on the darkest chapter in the history of the twenty-first century'
'This book showcases the essential and herculean work Francesca Albanese has produced in defence of Palestinian rights in a time of Israeli genocide'
'Albanese represents human rights expertise at its best. She equips the international movement for a free Palestine with meticulously researched analyses that further its cause globally'
'Francesca Albanese has transcended the role of UN rapporteur to become an iconic presence in one of humanity’s darkest chapters – not merely for the testimony she bears, but for the way she reorders our imagination of power, showing how it can be confronted and remade'
'Francesca Albanese’s reports are a rallying cry for justice. They teach us how to speak law to power'
'This book is a real-time documentation of an ongoing genocide – a genocide justified, supported, and facilitated by Western powers, media and corporations. It serves as an indispensable source in advancing justice, accountability, and freedom for Palestinians'
'Francesca Albanese has documented genocide with forensic clarity, legal precision, and moral force. A vital work of courage, resistance, and hope in a time of monstrous silence, malevolence, and cowardice. A lighthouse in a storm of propaganda'
'As Israel and its collaborators continue their atrocities, this book is a defiant reminder that we are many, they are few, and that their crimes against the Palestinians will never be forgotten. While Israel writes the world’s darkest chapter, global civil society writes its finest'
'With lucid analysis and courage, Albanese explains how genocide is organically tied to settler colonialism, is sustained by corporate interests, and relies on the failure of the international community to hold Israel accountable to international law. This book reminds us of our moral responsibility to bear witness, speak truth to power, and stop Israel’s determination to erase the Palestinian people.'
'Francesca Albanese is an erudite and courageous voice. If there is hope to be found in these dark days, it resides in her indispensable work'
'Francesca Albanese is one of the most courageous and respected defenders of human rights and international law. This book should not only be widely read but embraced as a model of what meaningful solidarity looks like'
'With clarity and compassion, Albanese registers the devastating shape, expanse, and mechanics of a genocide. These reports lend further weight to the heaving documentary archive of atrocities against the Palestinian people, and offer a sustenance of hope and solidarity'
'If an international community exists, Albanese is its leading voice of solidarity with the Palestinian people: principled, honest, fearless, and compassionate. In the darkest hour of the Palestinian people, Albanese’s example shames the world but also shows how it could be different'
'A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness reflects Francesca Albanese fearless pursuit of truth, her struggle for accountability, and her belief in a different world that is, indeed, already rising'
'Albanese’s reports are amongst the most thorough, comprehensive, and courageous documentation of the genocide in Gaza. The attempts to silence her and to dismantle UNRWA are yet another part of the broader campaign to eliminate the Palestinian people and their rights'
'Francesca Albanese has been a generational voice of conscience on Palestine. She has narrated, conceptualised, and opposed Israel’s genocide with unwavering clarity – providing essential legal analysis while situating the genocide in its full settler colonial and political economic context'
'An urgent and vital contribution to public understanding of the mechanisms and underpinnings of the ongoing genocide in Palestine. A landmark publication'
'A brave, principled, and unflinching account of the horror Israel has inflicted on Palestine and what the world must do to stop it'
'A remarkable contribution to the current debates on the role of law in resisting Israel’s crimes. It documents the crimes, names the perpetrators, and provides an analysis that opens up avenues for accountability. Albanese’s voice has been, and remains, a courageous and clear voice in the struggle for liberation and human rights in Palestine'
