Francesca Albanese’s Report: From the Economy of Occupation to the Economy of Genocide

by Palinfo.com

In recent decades, the structure of Israel’s occupation of Palestine has undergone a profound transformation, shifting from a traditional settler-colonial project to an integrated system of control and exclusion, built on economic profit and international complicity.

In her report presented to the 59th session of the Human Rights Council (16 June – 11 July 2025), the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, offers an unprecedented analysis of the occupation’s structure from both economic and legal perspectives.

The report, titled “From the Economy of Occupation to the Economy of Genocide,” not only documents violations but also deconstructs the globalized capitalist system that transforms occupation into a profitable genocidal enterprise.

The occupation as racist colonial capitalism
The report focuses on a model of domination known as “racial colonial capitalism,” where economic interests are intertwined with colonial and racist structures. In the Palestinian context, the Israeli settler-colonial project stands as a living example of this model, where tools of displacement, replacement, and spatial control combine within an exploitative economic logic driven by multinational corporations, banks, investment funds, and academic institutions.

Since the beginning of the Zionist project, entities such as the Jewish National Fund were established to purchase Palestinian land and uproot its indigenous population. This evolved into a comprehensive system consisting of more than 371 settlements and outposts, funded and supported by an international network of profit-driven entities.

From displacement to genocide
The report underscores that the decisive shift in the nature of the occupation began in October 2023, with the intensification of aggression against Gaza, transforming the occupation into a more brutal form characterized by genocide.

Field evidence and official data indicate that more than 85,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza in less than a year, with the number of casualties exceeding 179,411, including both those killed (martyrs) and wounded. Additionally, 70% of buildings and 81% of agricultural lands were destroyed.

The report affirms that these crimes were neither random nor isolated but rather the outcome of an intertwined military-economic structure, where weapons and new technologies are tested on the ground and later marketed as “field-proven.”

Corporations at the heart of the crime
The report traces the complex relationship between the occupation and a network of international corporations that either support or profit from it, clarifying that these entities are not peripheral but represent a core pillar of the occupation.

These corporations include:
• Weapons manufacturers: Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
• Technology companies: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Palantir
• Heavy machinery companies: Caterpillar, Volvo, Hyundai
• Energy companies: Chevron, BP, Glencore
• Academic institutions: MIT, TUM, Edinburgh University

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and biometric surveillance are used to develop tools of repression, while heavy machinery is deployed for the systematic demolition of Palestinian neighborhoods.

Infrastructure as a tool of systematic killing
The report documents how civilian infrastructure has been weaponized as a means of mass killing. In the energy sector, fuel, electricity, and water have been deliberately cut off from Gaza, leading to the collapse of hospitals and desalination plants. In the agricultural sector, settler agriculture has been used as a tool for land seizure, while Palestinians have been deprived of water and livelihoods.

In the tourism sector, the occupation is normalized through the promotion of settlements by companies such as Airbnb and Booking.com. In global markets, settlement products are marketed without effective oversight, reinforcing the legitimization of annexation and settlement expansion.

Money rules: Genocide financing
The report highlights that the financing of genocide has not come solely from the Israeli government but from a global network of financial institutions.

Israeli government bonds worth more than $13 billion have been issued since October 2023, with major institutions such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and BNP Paribas investing in these bonds despite knowing that they fund the Israeli military.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange index surged by 179% in less than a year, generating profits exceeding $157 billion, while Palestinians face siege, starvation, and systematic killing. These same institutions claim adherence to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles while investing in companies that manufacture tools of genocide.

Legal responsibility: From due diligence to criminal accountability
Under international law, any corporation that contributes to, facilitates, or is linked to serious violations bears legal responsibility in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011). In some legal systems, corporations may also incur criminal liability, as occurred with German industrialists after World War II.

The report stresses that merely applying due diligence is insufficient. There must be an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from all business relations with the occupation, coupled with accountability for executives for their material and moral contributions to the crimes.

Dismantling profitability: Toward economic and political justice
The report not only exposes the extent of international complicity but also reveals that the genocide in Palestine is not a deviation from the global system but its logical consequence. Economic institutions—supposedly neutral—have become part of the killing machine, contributing to financing, marketing, production, and normalization.

Therefore, ending Israeli occupation and apartheid is not achievable solely through political pressure but also requires dismantling the economic system that turns it into a profitable venture. Legal accountability, economic boycott, and restructuring the relationship between capital and human rights are today a moral and legal imperative.

“When life and death become subject to the decisions of investors, crimes turn into market indicators, and humanity becomes a victim of profitability.”

This analytical article is based on the Human Rights Council Report (2025) on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. All figures and quotations are derived from the original document issued by the United Nations.

Reprinted from The Palestine Information Centre Geneva, July 4, 2025