The United States on Wednesday announced new sanctions against senior UN Human Rights Council official Francesca Albanese who criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza. “Today, I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a post 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. The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies,” he added.
Who is Francesca Albanese?
Francesca Albanese is an Italian lawyer and academic specializing in human rights. She earned her law degree from the University of Pisa and later completed a Master of Laws in human rights at SOAS, University of London. Since May 2022, she has held the position of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.Before assuming her current position, Albanese held roles within several UN agencies, including the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and worked with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration. Although she has not taken the Italian bar exam, Albanese has explained that she opted to pursue a career in academia and international human rights instead of practicing law in Italy.In February of last year, Albanese came under fire for remarks suggesting that the victims of Hamas’ October 7 attack “were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.”
Why US imposed sanctions on her?
The United States imposed sanctions on Albanese for what Rubio described as her “illegitimate and shameful” efforts to push the International Criminal Court (ICC) to target US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives. The sanctions reflect Washington’s stance on defending its sovereignty and supporting allies like Israel in the face of what it sees as politically motivated international legal attacks. The move follows growing bipartisan criticism of Albanese’s conduct and statements, particularly her framing of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal and her controversial remarks following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Both the Biden and Trump administrations, along with pro-Israel advocacy groups, have accused her of antisemitism and bias, citing her statements that contextualized the attack as a response to decades of Palestinian oppression and her repeated rejection of Israel’s right to self-defense. Her recent report, “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” which alleges corporate complicity in Israel’s actions, further fueled US concerns and contributed to the decision to sanction her.
