A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness

Francesca Albanese is the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Human Rights. Since taking up her position in May 2022, a tenure that was extended for a further three years in May 2025, Albanese has tirelessly used her position to highlight Israel's multiple mechanisms of settler colonial violence, through her reports to the UN Human Rights Council and through her engagement with the media and public lectures. She has been one of the most prominent critics of Israel's genocide in Gaza since October 7 and a charismatic icon of moral integrity and courage. In July 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Albanese for doing her job, citing what it calls 'illegal and malicious lawfare' against Israel and US interests. This is an unprecedented move that violates the diplomatic immunity of UN officials. This book compiles the documentation of the genocide that Albanese has produced since October 2023, alongside a short reflection by her on the current state of affairs, reflections by her predecessors in the role of UN Special Rapporteur, and a preface by her colleague Lex Takkenberg, a 30-year veteran of UNRWA, co-authored with editor and scholar Mandy Turner. The ebook is available to download for free on Pluto Press' website. To help support UNRWA's important work in Palestine, after downloading the ebook, we ask that you make a donation to UNRWA on its website. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated directly to UNRWA.

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.

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