US sanctions UN official for criticism of Israel
The Trump administration has placed sanctions on United Nations official Francesca Albanese, intensifying its campaign against perceived anti-Israel bias within international institutions, as reported by Al-Monitor via Reuters on July 9th.
Albanese, who has served as UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories since 2022, has received the sanctions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move, accusing Albanese of hostility towards the United States and Israel. “Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West,” he said. He claimed she is leading a “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel.”
Previously, Albanese drew further US anger when she submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council accusing companies like Microsoft and Google of enabling what she called Israel’s “economy of genocide.” She wrote: “Any decision to continue engagement in Israel’s economy is therefore done with knowledge of the crimes that may be taking place.”
The UN Special Rapporteur addressed the UN Human Rights Council on July 3rd, according to Maghrebi. She said Israel’s assault is “one of the cruelest genocides in modern history,” Middle East Eye via Reuters reported.
In February last year, Israel banned Albanese from entering the country. The Trump administration officially requested her removal from the rapporteur in June, citing “virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism.”
The Biden administration also previously criticised Albanese, particularly after she commented on the Hamas-led October 7th 2023 assault. She said the victims “were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.” In response, then-US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, wrote on X that Albanese was “unfit for her role.”
US President Donald Trump authorised these sanctions under a February executive order enforcing asset freezes and visa bans on ICC officials. In June, the administration also sanctioned four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges.
Albanese condemned Italy, France, and Greece for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fly through their airspace during his visit to Washington. She wrote that, as Rome Statute signatories, they are “obligated” to arrest him.
Al-Monitor, Reuters, Maghrebi.org, Middle East Eye
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