USA Rubio Sanctions UN Palestinian Rapporteur Over Alleged Antisemitism and Anti-US Campaign

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Rubio Sanctions UN Palestinian Rapporteur Over Alleged Antisemitism and Anti-US Campaign

 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestinian rights, citing her alleged campaign against the United States and Israel. The move comes just days after the U.S. demanded Albanese’s dismissal, accusing her of virulent antisemitism and supporting terrorism.

 

Albanese, an Italian legal scholar who has held the UN role since 2022, was accused by Rubio of attempting to push the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute U.S. and Israeli officials, as well as private companies and executives. “Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [ICC] action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Rubio posted on X. “Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.”

 

Tensions escalated last month when the Trump administration urged UN Secretary-General António Guterres to dismiss Albanese over her controversial communications to American corporations. These letters, according to U.S. officials, were filled with what they described as “inflammatory rhetoric and false accusations.” Acting U.S. Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea criticized Albanese’s language, writing that “Ms. Albanese makes extreme allegations, such as that the entities may be contributing to purported offenses including ‘gross human rights violations,’ ‘apartheid,’ and ‘genocide,’” according to the Washington Free Beacon.

 

Despite these demands, a spokesperson for Guterres clarified that the Secretary-General does not have the authority to appoint or remove special rapporteurs, a limitation that left Washington’s request unresolved.

 

Albanese has drawn widespread condemnation for her statements regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, she accused companies such as Google of profiting from what she described as “the genocide carried out by Israel” in Gaza. These accusations sparked criticism not only from U.S. officials but also from European allies. She became the first UN Special Rapporteur to be formally condemned for antisemitism by both Germany and France.

 

Further controversy arose in July 2024 when Albanese reposted a social media image comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, commenting, “This is precisely what I was thinking today.” Her remarks were seen by many as trivializing the Holocaust and were denounced by key U.S. diplomats, including Deborah Lipstadt, the former Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, then U.S. Ambassador to the UN.

 

At this point, no one is surprised to see @UN Special Rapporteur Albanese expose her deep bias and blatantly use antisemitic tropes like comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. But this is why @ADL requested that @UN_HRC open proceedings to remove her from office. UN officials should check their biases at the door and maintain professional standards. This is as basic as it gets and yet Albanese falls far short.

At this point, no one is surprised to see @UN Special Rapporteur Albanese expose her deep bias and blatantly use antisemitic tropes like comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. But this is why @ADL requested that @UN_HRC open proceedings to remove her from office.

UN officials should… pic.twitter.com/DsU3uIkdKS

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) October 15, 2024

 

Albanese’s response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 others, also provoked backlash. Rather than condemning the acts outright, she wrote that “today’s violence must be put in context,” and questioned reported atrocities, including beheadings and rape, committed by Hamas militants.

 

In August 2024, Albanese labeled the targeted Israeli assassinations of terrorist leaders, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr, as “murders” and “acts of aggression.”

 

Both France and Germany have responded to her rhetoric:

 

France responding: “The October 7 massacre is the largest anti-Semitic massacre of the 21st century. To deny it is wrong. To seem to justify it, by bringing in the name of the United Nations, is a shame.”

Germany also replied to Albanese’s comments, stating: “To justify the horrific terror attacks of 7/10 & deny their antisemitic nature is appalling. Making such statements in a UN capacity is a disgrace and goes against everything the United Nations stand for.”

 

Rubio reiterated his stance that Albanese’s “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated.” The State Department emphasized its unwavering support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism. The New York Post reached out to Albanese for comment, but no response has been reported.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from NYP | ADL  2025-07-10

 

 

[billd766]

So why has the USA sanctioned Francesca Albanese?

 

Are rhey afraid that she will discover some deep dark secret that both the USA and Israel don't want the rest of the world to know about?

 

Or perhaps they are worried that the report will not be favourable to Trump and the USA or to Netanyahu and Israel?

[Bkk Brian]

17 minutes ago, billd766 said:

So why has the USA sanctioned Francesca Albanese?

 

Are rhey afraid that she will discover some deep dark secret that both the USA and Israel don't want the rest of the world to know about?

 

Or perhaps they are worried that the report will not be favourable to Trump and the USA or to Netanyahu and Israel?

You could always read the OP as to why but you obviously prefer a good conspiracey rant instead