UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Territories Francesca Albanese has warned that growing international momentum toward recognizing a Palestinian state should not divert attention from ending what she described as a “genocide” in Gaza.

Speaking to The Guardian, Albanese said decades of debate over Palestinian statehood have failed to bring political progress, instead allowing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank to expand. While she called recognition of a Palestinian state “important” and overdue, she stressed that the immediate focus must be on halting the ongoing destruction in Gaza.

Albanese urged a total arms embargo and suspension of trade agreements with Israel, saying that ending the genocide, permanent occupation, and apartheid is essential to ensuring freedom and equal rights for all. She described the global protests against the war as a sign of hope, highlighting a new generation speaking the “language of human rights.”

Her latest report examined corporate profiteering from the conflict, stating that “the occupation is profitable, and so is the genocide,” and urging people to use their purchasing power to help end it.