US Sanctions UN Human Rights Expert Francesca Albanese Over Israel Criticism
In a bold and highly controversial move, the Trump administration has sanctioned Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This marks a stunning escalation in the US government's crackdown on those who dare to scrutinize Israel's military conduct in Gaza and the West Bank. The announcement, made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes at a time when Albanese has been increasingly vocal, calling out what she describes as a “genocidal campaign” and “systematic ethnic cleansing” by Israel.
Albanese, a respected human rights lawyer with a global reputation, has gained prominence for her extensive reporting on human rights violations in the Palestinian territories. Her recent work has not only criticized Israeli military actions but also exposed the complicity of international corporations—many of them American—in profiting from Israel’s decades-long occupation. Her report named several major firms in sectors such as defense, finance, and technology that allegedly benefit from what she describes as “a killing machine devised to enforce apartheid and genocide.”
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Rubio’s justification for the sanctions is that Albanese has engaged in “political and economic warfare” against both the United States and Israel. He accuses her of antisemitism and of supporting terrorism—a claim that Albanese and many human rights observers vehemently deny. Her advocacy for the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants targeting Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, seems to have been the final straw for the administration. Under Trump’s February executive order, any assets Albanese may have in the US are now frozen, and both she and her immediate family are banned from entering the country.
This move has sparked outrage among international legal experts and human rights organizations. Critics argue that sanctioning a UN official simply for doing her job undermines not only the credibility of the United States on the global stage but also the very principles of international law. “This is rogue state behavior,” said one expert. “If you punish those participating in the due process of international justice, you align yourself with dictators and war criminals.”
The backdrop to this drama is a Gaza conflict that has now lasted nearly two years, with staggering human costs. Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign—following a deadly Hamas attack—has left more than 57,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities, most of them women and children. Albanese has been one of the few high-profile voices demanding accountability, calling for sanctions on Israel and its enablers, and pushing governments to take a firmer stance based on international law.
Now, the US appears to be punishing her for that exact stance. Her critics label her as biased and dangerous. But to her supporters, Francesca Albanese represents the integrity of human rights work in a time when it’s under unprecedented political attack. As the sanctions take effect, they send a chilling message to independent voices in the UN system: speaking truth to power—especially when it involves Israel and the US—can come at a high personal cost.
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