Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the imposition of sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, for what he described as her repeated “biased and malicious activities” against Israel and the United States.
The criticism of Albanese, which includes accusations of antisemitism, from Washington has long been bipartisan, though the Trump administration took the step of imposing sanctions on her on Wednesday.
“The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a Special Rapporteur,” Rubio said. “Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.”
Hours before Rubio made the announcement, Albanese demanded explanations from the Italian, French, and Greek governments as to why they “provide airspace and safe passage to the [International Criminal Court]-wanted Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they are obligated to arrest.”
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in May 2024 for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three senior Hamas leaders.
The two Israeli leaders have been accused of bearing “criminal responsibility” for the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, willfully causing great suffering, willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and extermination.
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“That bias has been apparent across the span of her career, including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” Rubio said of Albanese.
Rubio also accused Albanese of “writing threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide, including major American companies across finance, technology, defense, energy, and hospitality, making extreme and unfounded accusations and recommending the ICC pursue investigations and prosecutions of these companies and their executives.”
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, a group dedicated to holding the UN accountable, said:
“This is a bold and courageous move by Secretary Rubio. No UN official — in this case, a purported official, as her reappointment was illegal — has ever been sanctioned before in history. Then again, no UN official has ever been condemned for Holocaust distortion and antisemitism by France, Germany, Canada, and both Democratic and Republican US administrations. Francesca Albanese is an openly antisemitic supporter of terrorism. She has accused the ‘Jewish lobby’ of controlling America. She blamed the CIA and Mossad for the ISIS terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo journalists in 2015. On October 7, she justified the Hamas attacks, tweeting “today’s violence must be put in context.
“She will never again spread her poison on American campuses or enter the country. Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.”
