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Francesca Albanese

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Francesca Albanese
Albanese at the Hague Group emergency meeting in Bogotá, July 2025
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 2022[1]
Preceded byMichael Lynk
Personal details
BornFrancesca Paola Albanese
1976 or 1977 (age 49–50)
Ariano Irpino, Campania, Italy
SpouseMassimiliano Calì
Children2
Education
OccupationAcademic
Awards
Order of Civil Merit

Francesca Paola Albanese (Italian: [franˈtʃeska ˈpaːola albaˈneːze, -eːse]; born 1976 or 1977) is an Italian legal scholar and expert on human rights. She has served as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories since 1 May 2022; initially appointed for a three-year term, she was confirmed for another three years in April 2025. She is the first woman to hold the position, and has a law degree from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London.

As part of her position as a UN special rapporteur, Albanese has been critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and recommended in her first report that UN member states develop a plan to end the occupation and apartheid. After the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks in 2023, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of ethnic cleansing. In March 2024, Albanese reported to the UN Human Rights Council that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide. The UN published a report by Albanese in June 2025 stating that many corporate entities were enabling and profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories and the Gaza genocide. Shortly thereafter, the United States under the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Albanese under Executive Order 14203 naming her a "specially designated national", forbidding all U.S. persons and companies from doing business with her. She is the first UN official to receive this sanction. The sanctions were temporarily lifted in May 2026 due to a court order, but reinstated after a few days. She has received multiple awards for her work and is a senior advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development.

US officials under both the Biden and Trump administrations, Israeli officials, pro-Israeli organisations and several European governments have criticised her statements or called for her removal due to concerns about impartiality about Israel and antisemitism. Albanese has said that her criticism of Israel concerns its conduct and violations of international law. Multiple human rights activists and scholars have supported her, including Amnesty International and three former special rapporteurs on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Her supporters have stated that accusations of antisemitism have been weaponised to try to discredit her work.

Early life and education

Francesca Paola Albanese was born in Ariano Irpino, Italy[2] in 1976 or 1977.[3] Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a lawyer. They were interested in politics and admired judges who confronted the mafia. According to Albanese, she was not fluent in English until her 20s.[4]

Albanese holds a full Italian law degree (LMG with honours from the University of Pisa).[5][6] In a May 2025 interview, she said that she had studied jurisprudence and had not taken the bar examination because she was more interested in human rights and did not want to practice law in Italy.[7] She later earned a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London.[8][9]

Career

Albanese was an affiliate scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University until late 2025, when the University stated it was ended as a result of US sanctions imposed on her.[10] She is[when?] a senior advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD),[8] where she co-founded the Global Network on the Question of Palestine.[8] In 2020, she and Lex Takkenberg wrote the OUP-published Palestinian Refugees in International Law.[11]

Albanese worked for a decade as a human rights expert for the UN, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees.[12] During this period, she advised the UN, governments, and civil society in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions on human rights and their application and norms, particularly for vulnerable groups like refugees and migrants. She holds lectures on international law and forced displacement in both European and Arab universities, as well as conferences and public events about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[8]

UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories

On 1 May 2022 Albanese was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term.[13] Albanese is the second Italian (after Giorgio Giacomelli) and the first woman to be appointed to the position.[14] Israel opposed her appointment, saying that she had a history of anti-Israel statements.[15] On 18 October 2022, Albanese recommended in her first report that UN member states develop "a plan to end the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and apartheid regime".[16] The report concluded: "The violations described in the present report expose the nature of the Israeli occupation, that of an intentionally acquisitive, segregationist and repressive regime designed to prevent the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination."[17]

In December 2022, The Times of Israel reported on a Facebook post Albanese had made during the 2014 Gaza War. In the post, Albanese said the United States was "subjugated by the Jewish lobby" and Europe by a "sense of guilt about the Holocaust", and that both "condemn the oppressed – the Palestinians" in the conflict.[18] The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Michèle Taylor, the US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, suggested the comments were antisemitic.[19][18] Albanese said that she had never been antisemitic and that her criticism of Israel is related to its occupation of Palestinian territories.[18][20][21] She has expressed regret for using the phrase "the Jewish lobby" in her post, saying that she was unaware that it was an antisemitic trope and that she was referring to AIPAC's influence in the US.[3][18]

During the 30th Meeting of the 53rd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council in July 2023, Albanese presented a report accusing Israel of turning the West Bank into an "open-air prison". The report said that since 1967, more than 800,000 Palestinians, including children as young as 12, had been arrested and detained by Israeli authorities.[22] Briefing journalists, Albanese said: "There is no other way to define the regime that Israel has imposed on the Palestinians – which is apartheid by default – other than an open-air prison."[23] Israel was not present for the presentation but rejected the findings.[23]

In August 2024, Albanese was one of many UN Special Rapporteurs who signed an open letter to the "International community" on the third anniversary of the Taliban taking change in Afghanistan. They were concerned that the regime's human-rights abuses particularly against women and girls may become accepted. They encouraged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take urgent action against those responsible.[24]

Albanese was confirmed in the position for another three years in April 2025.[25]

In September 2026, Albanese stated that the Western world should stop sending weapons to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War and seek a political solution. She accused both NATO and the United States of prolonging the conflict, and stated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was unlawful. When asked how she believed the war should end, Albanese said she did not have a solution because she was not an expert.[26][27]

Later that month, Albanese apologized in a social media post on X for saying in an interview that Jews in Nazi death camps were referred to as Muslims and that the word antisemitism had originally referred to hatred of all "Semitic peoples". Holocaust memorial organization Yad Vashem criticized Albanese for the remarks, describing them as "clear and dangerous historical revisionism".[28] Albanese said she had "misread the term 'Muselmann' (Muslim) used in Nazi camps for prisoners at the brink of death, wrongly inferring that the term antisemitism originally meant hatred of all Semitic peoples" rather than having been invented as a term to specifically denote hatred of Jews. A statement from Yad Vashem said that Albanese should "familiarize herself with the history she seeks to address, particularly the rise of Nazi antisemitism and the ideology that paved the way for the Holocaust, before making assertions about it".[29][30][31][32]

Gaza war

Albanese in July 2024

In 2023, after the outbreak of the Gaza war, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that "Palestinians are in grave danger of a mass ethnic cleansing."[33] She further stated that the international community must "prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes", and that "accountability for international crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and Hamas must also be immediately pursued".[33]

In February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron described the October 7 attacks as "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century". Albanese responded on X (formerly Twitter) that "the victims of the October 7 massacre were killed not because of their Judaism, but in response to Israeli oppression". The French Foreign Ministry condemned her remarks and the Israeli government declared Albanese persona non grata in Israel and denied her future entry to the country. In response to the reactions, Albanese said: "I regret that some interpreted my tweet as 'justifying' Hamas's crimes, which I have condemned strongly several times. I reject all forms of racism, including antisemitism. However, labeling these crimes as 'antisemitic' obscures the real reason they occurred."[34][35][36]

On 26 March 2024, Albanese presented the report "Anatomy of a Genocide" before the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. She stated there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israel is intentionally committing genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese called for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel.[37] At a press conference about the report, she stated that Israel is misusing international humanitarian law to justify its genocidal actions in Gaza.[38] The report was condemned by the Israeli ambassador to the UN in Geneva who stated that Israel is targeting Hamas rather than Palestinian civilians.[39][37] According to Albanese, she received death threats after the report was released.[3][40]

She was one of the many UN experts who spoke out against the sale of arms to Israel in June 2024 to be used in the conflict in Gaza. The experts cautioned arms suppliers and finance companies that they would be implicated in human rights violations. The signatories to the warning included special reporteurs Paula Gaviria Betancur, Tlaleng Mofokeng, and Margaret Satterthwaite.[41]

Albanese, Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Emergency Conference on Palestine in Bogota, Colombia, 16 July 2025

During a briefing on the international legal responsibilities for preventing genocide, Albanese said that given the way Israel was behaving, it was time to consider suspending their credential as a member state under Article 6 of the UN Charter.[42] In an interview with Middle East Eye in November 2024, Albanese described Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom David Lammy as a genocide denier, and stated that the British government had done nothing to prevent Israel's atrocities in Gaza.[43] In March 2025, Betar, a Jewish far-right organization, threatened Albanese with a pager attack during her visit to London. The group posted a statement on Twitter that said "Join us to give Francesca a [pager emoji] in London on Tuesday."[44] The pager emoji is a reference to the 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon.[44] Albanese said that she and her family had received death threats.[45]

Albanese criticized the Trump administration for welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States and maintaining friendly relations with him, despite the fact that an arrest warrant has been issued for Netanyahu as part of the ICC investigation in Palestine.[46] In June 2025, Albanese said Israel had killed more than 200 Palestinian journalists because they were documenting the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.[45] She also said EU officials like Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas were complicit in Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war.[45]

The UN published "From Economy of Occupation to Economy of a Genocide" in June 2025. The report by Albanese stated that corporate entities were enabling and profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories and the Gaza genocide.[47][48] It listed 48 corporations, including Microsoft, Alphabet Inc., and Amazon,[49] which it said are helping Israel displace Palestinians in breach of international law.[50] Additionally, the report advocated for sanctions against Israel and prosecution of the accused companies by the ICC.[48][51]

Sanctions imposed by the United States

Six days after "From Economy of Occupation to Economy of a Genocide" was released,[4][51] in July 2025, the United States Department of the Treasury under the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Albanese under Executive Order 14203. She was named a "specially designated national", thus forbidding all US persons and companies from doing business with her, except as necessary to the wind down of any transaction involving Albanese until 8 August 2025.[52][53] The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying: "Albanese's campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated".[54][53][55] As a result of the sanctions, she lost access to credit cards and bank accounts in most countries and is barred from traveling to the US.[56][4] Georgetown University stated in December 2025 that Albanese was no longer an affiliate scholar in compliance with the sanctions.[10]

She is the first UN official to be designated on the list, which includes Al-Qaeda members, drug traffickers, and arms dealers.[3][56] According to Reuters, the sanctions are part of the Trump administration's larger attacks on international institutions, including the sanctioning of more than nine ICC judges and cuts to foreign aid.[56][57][58] According to Associated Press, the sanctions are an example of the US government's attempts to suppress anti-Israel criticism during the Gaza war.[59]

The sanctions were criticised by the UN, Belgium foreign minister Maxime Prévot,[60] and Spain prime minister Pedro Sánchez.[61] Albanese called the sanctions "obscene" and said that she was being punished for her "pursuit of justice".[62] The move was criticised by Amnesty International as a "disgraceful affront to international justice".[63] Human rights activist Kenneth Roth said the Trump administration was trying to censor Albanese to protect Israel.[64] Margaret Satterthwaite, the U.N. special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, expressed concern that "someone’s human rights work could be seen as so dangerous that they would be thought of as akin to a terrorist".[56] The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal praised the move as overdue.[65]

Albanese's family filed a lawsuit against Trump over the sanctions in February 2026.[57] In May 2026, US district judge Richard J. Leon blocked the sanctions against Albanese, ruling that they violated Albanese's First Amendment rights.[66] Later that month, after the D.C. Court of Appeals granted an administrative stay of Leon's order, noting that the decision was not "a ruling on the merits" of the Trump administration's appeal. The sanctions were reinstated.[67][57]

Edited video of Al Jazeera address

In February 2026 a video was produced by the pro-Israel advocacy group UN Watch, in which portions of an address by Albanese, at an Al Jazeera forum, were edited and spliced together to suggest that Albanese had said that Israel was the "common enemy" of humanity.[68] Albanese did not make the fabricated statement but rather criticized Western inaction during the Gaza genocide.[69]

In response to the purported remarks, the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic,[70] Germany,[71] and France called for the removal of Albanese. Albanese responded that she was referring to "the system that has enabled the genocide in Palestine" as the "common enemy".[68] The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France "unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks" attributed to Albanese, arguing that they were directed not at the Israeli government, whose policies may be criticized, but "at Israel as a people and as a nation".[72] Barrot also accused Albanese of adding to "a long list of scandalous positions", alleging that she is a political activist who has previously justified the 7 October attacks and "compared Israel to the Third Reich".[72] Although Barrot said France would call for Albanese's resignation at a 25 February meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, it ultimately did not do so.[73]

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described her position as "untenable".[68] Petr Macinka, the foreign minister of the Czech Republic, citing the "common enemy of humanity" remarks, also urged her to step down.[70] Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also condemned her conduct and positions, writing that they "do not reflect those of the Italian government".[74] Austria's Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, posted a tweet condemning Albanese for using language that "undermines the impartiality and highest standards that the role of a UN representative requires",[75] but later deleted that post without explanation.[76]

Several lawmakers likewise urged that Albanese be stripped of her UN mandate with immediate effect, citing the ostensible comments – that Albanese did not make – from the edited video of the conference.[69][72] Amnesty International condemned the attacks on Albanese for being based on a deliberately truncated video, and called on the ministers who attacked her to apologize and retract the calls for Albanese's resignation.[77] Over 100 artists, including Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Annie Ernaux and Annie Lennox, signed an open letter supporting Albanese.[68]

Albanese's comments were reviewed by a United Nations panel of human rights experts. The panel found that the "vicious attacks" on Albanese were based on a doctored video of her speech. It criticised the "Ministers of certain States [who] rely on manufactured facts and criticise Ms Albanese for statements that she never made". It said that, instead of attacking Albanese, the Ministers "should join forces to hold accountable, including before the International Criminal Court, leaders and officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza".[78]

Writing

"Anatomy of a Genocide" (2024)

In her report "Anatomy of a Genocide", Albanese found reasonable grounds to believe that Israel is intentionally committing at least three genocidal acts proscribed in the Genocide Convention against the Palestinians as a group in Gaza. These acts are: Killing members of the group, Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, and Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.[39][79] To support her argument, Albanese stated that the Israeli military has killed mostly women and children and that they have killed men without proving that they are combatants. She stated that Israel has imprisoned and tortured tens of thousands of Palestinian men and boys and has demolished hospitals, farmland, and other necessary facilities.[80] She cited statements made by Israeli officials as evidence of Israeli incitement to commit genocide.[80] Albanese called for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel.[37] Additionally, she condemned war crimes committed by Palestinian groups in the October 7 attacks and called for the release of the Israeli hostages.[39]

When the World Sleeps (2025)

In 2025, Albanese published Quando il mondo dorme: Storie, parole e ferite della Palestina [When the World Sleeps: Words and Wounds of Palestine] in Italy[81] where it became a bestseller. As of April 2026, it has been translated into 11 languages.[82] In addition to autobiographical content, the book covers the stories of people who have influenced Albanese, including Gabor Maté, Ghassan Abu-Sittah, and Hind Rajab.[83][82] One chapter is about Alon Confino, an Italian-Israeli professor who worked with Albanese and supported her against accusations of antisemitism.[3]

Reception

Accusations of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias

In February 2023, 18 members of the United States Congress called for Albanese to be removed from her position saying that she has demonstrated a consistent bias against Israel.[84]

In July 2024, Albanese expressed support on X for a post by former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber, that juxtaposed a photo of a crowd welcoming Adolf Hitler with Nazi salutes and a photo of Netanyahu being welcomed by the US Congress. Mokhiber captioned his post with the words "History is always watching" and Albanese responded with "This is precisely what I was thinking today".[85] In response, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated, "It is clear [Albanese] is not fit for this or any position at the UN."[86] Albanese said the comparison she and Mokhiber were making was between two crowds of politicians cheering on war criminals.[87] German Newspaper Der Freitag stated that both past comments on the "Jewish lobby" and this statement crossed the line from legitimate criticism into antisemitic tropes.[88]

Responding to two reports presented to the United nations in October 2024, the World Jewish Congress accused Albanese of repeatedly engaging in Holocaust inversion by drawing comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, calling her statements "not only deeply offensive, but a gross distortion of history".[89] Albanese said in response to the accusation of antisemitism, "Antisemitism and discrimination against Jews as Jews is gross. But frankly I couldn't care less if Israel were run by Jews, Muslims, Christians or atheists... All I want is for Israel to conduct itself in line with international law."[90]

On 11 February 2025, the Dutch House of Representatives cancelled an invitation for Albanese to visit on 13 February, on account of her statements about the Gaza War.[91] On 20 June 2025, the Trump administration sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling for her removal as rapporteur on Palestinian rights following what they alleged was "antisemitism and support for terrorism".[92]

Support for Albanese

Albanese with members of the Portuguese Parliament on 27 July 2024

In December 2022, sixty-five scholars of antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Jewish studies issued a statement saying that criticism of Albanese was motivated by a desire to censor her rather than to end antisemitism.[21] In January 2023, a statement was issued in defence of Albanese by 116 human rights organizations, academic institutions, and other civil society organizations. The statement condemned criticism of Albanese as a "smear campaign" aiming at censoring criticism of Israel.[93][94]

Amid continuing efforts to have Albanese removed from her post, Amnesty International Italy published on 26 April 2023 a letter of support signed by dozens of Italian rights groups, MPs, jurists, and academics.[93] On 27 April, three former holders of the position (John Dugard, Richard Falk, and Michael Lynk) publicly urged the UN to defend Albanese and said that she has been "the target of attacks that have been 'slanderous' and 'personal'". On 3 May, Albanese tweeted that she "saw too many deaths [of Palestinians], too much arbitrariness, zero accountability" and faced accusations for her work in addressing these abuses.[95][93]

In 2025, there were calls to nominate Albanese for the Nobel Peace Prize. A campaign on Avaaz to award her with the Prize reached over 400,000 signatures.[96][97] Albanese was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, an Irish member of the EU Parliament;[98] Matjaž Nemec, a Slovenian politician;[99] the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet;[100] and the Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP) has voiced their intention to do so.[101] At a 2025 meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, she was met with solidarity from the Global South member states for her activities. She was also voted in to keep her position as UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories until 2028.[4] Florence considered granting Albanese honorary citizenship to recognise her support for Palestine. The vote was shelved after members of the governing majority said there were insufficient votes to approve the measure, following opposition from Mayor Sara Funaro.[102][103][104]

Awards

In April 2023, Albanese received the International Stefano Chiarini Award (Italian: Premio Internazionale Stefano Chiarini) in recognition of her journalistic work covering Palestine and the Middle East.[105][106]

She was chosen as the Passblue UN Person of the Year for 2024. Passblue said Albanese and the other nominees "demonstrated strong leadership in 2024 to uphold the UN Charter, advocate for universal human rights, act to ensure international humanitarian law and promote peace and nonviolence throughout the world".[107]

On 12 February 2025, Albanese received the Dutch "Dries van Agt Prize" from The Rights Forum [nl], which honors individuals and organizations that make a strong commitment to human rights and international law in Palestine.[108] In March 2025, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Albanese received the Iranian "Dr. Taghi Ebtekar Award" for her work on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and her outstanding documentation and reporting of the abuses taking place there.[109] On 2 April 2026, Albanese received a joint honorary doctorate from three Flemish universities: the University of Antwerp, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.[110][111]

On 7 May 2026, Spain prime minister Pedro Sánchez awarded Albanese the Order of Civil Merit, one of the country's highest civilian honors, for her "extensive work in documenting and denouncing violations of international law in Gaza".[61]

Personal life

Albanese married Massimiliano Calì, a World Bank official,[112] and they have two children.[8] As of 2025, she lives in Tunis, Tunisia.[52][113]

Bibliography

  • When the World Sleeps: Words and Wounds of Palestine. South Yarra, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books, 2026
  • A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness: Reports on Israel's Genocide in Palestine. London: Pluto Press, 2025
  • Quando il mondo dormo: storie, parole e ferite della Palestina. (12th ed) Milano: Rizzoli, 2025.
  • J'accuse. Milano: Fuoriscena, 2024.
  • Palestinian refugees in international law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020

See also

References

  1. ↑ "OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Stacey, Diego (18 July 2025). "Francesca Albanese, UN rapporteur: 'The United States' intimidation techniques are mafia-style'". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Borger, Julian (14 April 2026). "'My life has become a rollercoaster': Francesca Albanese on death threats, danger and dread after accusing Israel of genocide". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Abé, Nicola (12 September 2025). "The Human Rights Populist: UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese Is Both Hated and Loved". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "Francesca Albanese, chi è la relatrice Onu finita nel mirino degli USA". 11 July 2025. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Giurisprudenza". University of Pisa. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Bombino, Silvia (27 May 2025). "Francesca Albanese: «Sto per fare i nomi di 45 grandi aziende del mondo che finanziano il genocidio. Mi gettano fango addosso, ma non ho paura»". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lunchtime Seminar: 'Resetting the Mind: Settler Colonialism, Apartheid and the Right to Self-determination in Palestine'". University of Galway. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Francesca Albanese". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  10. 1 2 Wagenheim, Mike (26 December 2025). "Francesca Albanese 'no longer affiliated' with school, Georgetown says". JNS.org. Archived from the original on 28 December 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Fritzsche-El-Shewy, Jasmin (26 December 2022). "Palestinian Refugees in International Law". International Journal of Refugee Law. 34 (1): 157–159. doi:10.1093/ijrl/eeac020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "Second Part: Application Form in Word Format. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 Appointment to be made by the Human Rights Council at its 49th session" (PDF). OHCHR. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  13. ↑ Falk, Richard; Dugard, John; Lynk, Michael (15 January 2023). Protecting Human Rights in Occupied Palestine: Working Through the United Nations. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-949762-55-6.
  14. ↑ Selini, Anna Maria (9 June 2022). "Francesca Albanese: il mio impegno per i diritti in Palestina". Altreconomia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Israel blasts 'unfit' lawyer tapped to head UN probe into treatment of Palestinians". The Times of Israel. 3 April 2022. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  16. ↑ Albanese, Francesca. Situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967* (PDF) (Report). United Nations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  17. ↑ The New Arab Staff (19 October 2022). "UN report urges plan to 'end Israeli colonialism, apartheid'". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Tress, Luke (14 December 2022). "UN Palestinian rights official's social media history reveals antisemitic comments". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Onu, la Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accusata di antisemitismo". la Repubblica (in Italian). 15 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Francesca Albanese: "Mai stata antisemita. Le mie critiche riguardano solo l'occupazione israeliana"". la Repubblica (in Italian). 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Scholars of anti-Semitism defend UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine against pro-Israel onslaught". Middle East Monitor. 22 December 2022. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Summary of the UN Special Rapporteur's Report on the Widespread and Systematic Deprivation of Liberty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". law4palestine.org. 14 July 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories 'open-air prison', UN expert says". Reuters. 11 July 2023. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  24. ↑ "International community must not normalise Taliban rule in Afghanistan [EN/Dari/PS] – Afghanistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 14 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  25. ↑ "Francesca Albanese confermata relatrice Onu per i territori palestinesi fino al 2028". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 5 April 2025. Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  26. ↑ Cortright, Bradley (22 September 2026). "UN's Francesca Albanese Tells the West To Stop Arming Ukraine and Blames NATO For the War". The New York Sun.
  27. ↑ Deconinck, Carl (22 September 2026). "Albanese says NATO keeps Ukraine war open and backs halt to arms". Brussels Signal. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Eichner, Itamar; Eichner, Itamar (29 September 2026). "UN expert apologizes for false claims on Nazi camp term, origins of antisemitism". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  29. ↑ @FranceskAlbs (28 September 2026). "I sincerely apologize" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 September 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  30. ↑ Kehnemui, Sharon. "UN Rapporteur Albanese Walks Back Claim That Antisemitism Refers to All People of the Middle East; Albanese’s contortion of a concentration camp shorthand for the imminently dying as a reference to Muslims demonstrated profound lack of knowledge about the Holocaust, scholar says", The New York Sun, September 28, 2026. Accessed September 29, 2026. "As it relates to Jews and the Holocaust, Ms. Albanese also missed the mark by referring to 'Musselmann' as a reference to Muslims. While the word is possibly an adaptation of Turkish used in German, Yiddish, and other languages, its use in concentration camps referred to the resignation and indifference of prisoners in the death throes of starvation and exhaustion, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion."
  31. ↑ Tress, Luke. "UN’s Albanese walks back claims that Nazis labeled death camp victims 'Muslims', that antisemitism isn't only about Jews", The Times of Israel, September 28, 2026. Accessed September 29, 2026. "The UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, apologizes for claiming that the Nazis called their death camp victims "Muslims" and that antisemitism is not only about hatred of Jews. Albanese said last week in an interview that antisemitism "is not just discrimination against Jews. It’s discrimination against Semitic peoples", and claimed that, when the term was coined in the late 19th century, it referred to all non-Europeans.... 'The Special Rapporteur would do well to familiarize herself with the history she seeks to address, particularly the rise of Nazi antisemitism and the ideology that paved the way for the Holocaust, before making assertions about it', the statement adds."
  32. ↑ HALPERN, BySAM; Davidov, Jonah (28 September 2026). "UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese retracts comments on origins of antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  33. 1 2 Albanese, Francesca (14 October 2023). "UN expert warns of new instance of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  34. ↑ "Hamas October 7 massacre a 'reaction to Israeli oppression' – UN official". Jerusalem Post. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  35. ↑ "UN envoy says Israel to blame for October 7 massacre". Ynet News. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  36. ↑ Lis, Jonathan; Samuels, Ben (12 February 2024). "Israel Declares UN Envoy to Gaza and West Bank Persona Non Grata After Oct. 7 Comments". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  37. 1 2 3 Farge, Emma (26 March 2024). "UN expert says Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, calls for arms embargo". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  38. ↑ Louis Mian, Benjamin Brown (27 March 2024). "'Reasonable grounds' to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN rights expert says | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  39. 1 2 3 "Gaza war: UN rights expert accuses Israel of acts of genocide". BBC. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  40. ↑ Domínguez, Íñigo (28 December 2025). "The complicated life of Francesca Albanese: A rising figure in Italy but barred from every bank by Trump's sanctions". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  41. ↑ "States and companies must end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk responsibility for human rights violations: UN experts". United Nations. 20 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  42. ↑ "'It Is Important to Call a Genocide a Genocide', Consider Suspending Israel's Credential as UN Member State, Experts Tell Palestinian Rights Committee" (Press release). United Nations. 31 October 2024. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  43. ↑ Asem, Sondos; Mulla, Imran (14 November 2024). "UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese calls David Lammy a 'genocide denier'". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  44. 1 2 Osman, Nadda (17 March 2025). "Who are Betar, the ultra-Zionists threatening Francesca Albanese?". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  45. 1 2 3 Dedorson, Emma Sofia (6 June 2025). "Francesca Albanese: 'EU officials must face charges of complicity in war crimes'". EUobserver. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  46. ↑ "UN Palestine investigator Albanese slams US sanctions on her as 'a sign of guilt'". Euronews. 11 July 2025. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  47. ↑ "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide – (A/HRC/59/23) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967". United Nations. 2025. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  48. 1 2 "Global firms 'profiting from genocide' in Gaza, says UN rapporteur". The Guardian. 3 July 2025.
  49. ↑ "List of Companies Complicit in Israel's Genocide in Palestine: UN Report". Tempo Magazine. 4 July 2025. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  50. ↑ Marsi, Federica (1 July 2025). "UN report lists companies complicit in Israel's 'genocide': Who are they?". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 1 July 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  51. 1 2 "Who Gets Held Accountable? US Sanctions Against Albanese and ICC Judges and the Missing Corporate Accountability in Gaza". Opinio Juris. 10 October 2026. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  52. 1 2 "International Criminal Court-related Designation; Issuance of International Criminal Court-related General License". Office of Foreign Assets Control. 9 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  53. 1 2 "US issues sanctions against UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza". AP News. 10 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  54. ↑ Secretary Marco Rubio [@SecRubio] (9 July 2025). "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.

    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.

    "     (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  55. ↑ "Sanctioning Lawfare that Targets U.S. and Israeli Persons". state.gov (Press release). 9 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025.
  56. 1 2 3 4 Marshall, Andrew R. C.; Pamuk, Humeyra; Shiffman, John; Berg, Stephanie van den; Marshall, Andrew R. C.; Pamuk, Humeyra; Shiffman, John; Berg, Stephanie van den (6 February 2026). "ARCHIVE: In Trump's war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions". Reuters. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  57. 1 2 3 "US returns Palestinian rights expert Francesca Albanese to sanctions list". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  58. ↑ Maupas, Stéphanie (10 October 2026). "US announces ICC sanctions and issues ultimatum to member states". Le Monde (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  59. ↑ "U.S. issues sanctions against United Nations investigator probing abuses in Gaza". NPR. AP. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  60. ↑ "UN and Belgium condemn US sanctions on Gaza rapporteur". Belga. 11 July 2025. Archived from the original on 9 January 2026. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  61. 1 2 Jones, Sam (7 May 2026). "Spain awards UN legal expert Francesca Albanese one of its highest civilian honours". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  62. ↑ "UN expert Albanese rejects 'obscene' US sanctions for criticising Israel". Al Jazeera. 10 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  63. ↑ "US sanctions against Francesca Albanese are an affront to international justice". Amnesty International. 9 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  64. ↑ Boxerman, Aaron; Cumming-Bruce, Nick; Regalado, Francesca (10 July 2025). "U.S. Imposes Sanctions on U.N. Expert Who Has Denounced Israel Over Gaza War". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  65. ↑ "Opinion: Accountability for the U.N." The Wall Street Journal. 9 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  66. ↑ Gerstein, Josh (13 May 2026). "Judge overturns US sanctions on UN official who called for war crimes prosecutions over Gaza". Politico. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  67. ↑ "US puts UN expert Albanese back on list of sanctioned individuals, Treasury website shows". Reuters. 27 May 2026.
  68. 1 2 3 4 "Over 100 artists for Palestine back UN's Albanese after resignation calls". Al Jazeera. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  69. 1 2 Gallo, Nathan (12 February 2026). ""Israël est l'ennemi commun de l'humanité": comment cette phrase a été attribuée à tort à Francesca Albanese" ["Israel is the common enemy of humanity": how this phrase was wrongly attributed to Francesca Albanese]. France 24 (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  70. 1 2 Farge, Emma (13 February 2026). "UN defends expert on Palestinian rights after European criticism". Reuters.
  71. ↑ "Germany demands resignation of UN rights rapporteur Albanese over anti-Israel comments". The Times of Israel. 12 February 2026. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  72. 1 2 3 "France urges removal of UN rapporteur over remarks on Israel". 11 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  73. ↑ "France abandons plan to demand Albanese resign at UN meeting". POLITICO. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  74. ↑ "UN 'very concerned' after European calls for Francesca Albanese's resignation". L'Orient Today. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  75. ↑ "France to call for Albanese's resignation at UN session". The Jerusalem Post. 11 February 2026. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  76. ↑ Adalbert Krims (15 February 2026). "Fake News auf Außenministerebene". medienkultur.at. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  77. ↑ "Global: European states must retract outrageous attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese". Amnesty International. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  78. ↑ Mathiesen, Karl (17 February 2026). "Panel rebukes EU nations for seeking ouster of UN's Albanese over Israel-Gaza remarks". POLITICO. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  79. ↑ "Anatomy of a Genocide. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967" (PDF). 25 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  80. 1 2 "UN expert accuses Israel of 'genocide' in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  81. ↑ Bombino, Silvia (27 May 2025). "Francesca Albanese: «Sto per fare i nomi di 48 grandi aziende del mondo che finanziano il genocidio. Mi gettano fango addosso, ma non ho paura»". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  82. 1 2 McDermott, Kerry (30 April 2026). "Francesca Albanese Wants The World To Wake Up". British Vogue. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  83. ↑ "When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine by Francesca Albanese". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
  84. ↑ "US Congress members call on UN leadership to remove antisemitic official". The Times of Israel. 27 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  85. ↑ "U.S.: Post by UN's Albanese equating Netanyahu with Hitler 'antisemitic'". i24NEWS. 28 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 September 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  86. ↑ "US envoy says Albanese 'not fit' for position as UN expert after post comparing Netanyahu to Hitler". Times of Israel. 26 July 2024. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  87. ↑ "Yama utfordrer Francesca Albanese" (video). NRK. 2025. Retrieved 10 May 2026. Statement at 3:09.
  88. ↑ Gräfe, Magdalena. "Francesca Albanese im Babylon Berlin: Wieder ein Eklat um Antisemitismuskritik?". Der Freitag (in German). ISSN 0945-2095. Retrieved 10 October 2026.
  89. ↑ "WJC slams UN's Albanese for Holocaust inversion, Israel-Nazi comparisons". The Jerusalem Post. 16 October 2024. ISSN 0792-822X. Archived from the original on 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  90. ↑ Speri, Alice (13 August 2025). "Recognising Palestinian state must not distract from ending Gaza mass deaths, UN expert says". The Guardian.
  91. ↑ "Tweede Kamer wil VN-rapporteur Albanese deze week toch niet ontvangen" [On second thought, the Dutch House of Representatives does not want to receive Albanese]. NOS Nieuws (in Dutch). 11 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  92. ↑ "Trump admin. accuses Francesca Albanese of antisemitism, terror support". The Jerusalem Post. 2 July 2025. Archived from the original on 2 July 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  93. 1 2 3 "The campaign against the UN's human rights official on Palestine". Al Jazeera English. 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  94. ↑ Ditmars, Hadani. "Jewish groups rally behind Francesca Albanese amid smear efforts". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 10 November 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  95. ↑ "In difesa della Relatrice speciale Onu sui territori palestinesi occupati da Israele" [In defense of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel]. Amnesty International Italia (in Italian). 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  96. ↑ "Al-arab In UK | Over 400,000 Demand Nobel Peace Prize for Gaza'..." 13 July 2025. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  97. ↑ "Global Calls to Nominate Francesca Albanese and Gaza's Doctors for Nobel Peace Prize Despite U.S. Sanctions". yaffaps.com. Yaffa News Network. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  98. ↑ "Ó Ríordáin nominates Francesca Albanese for the Nobel Peace Prize with S&D colleagues". The Labour Party. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  99. ↑ "Matjaž Nemec bo Francesco Albanese predlagal za nobela za mir, ZDA nad slovensko gostjo s sankcijami. Kako se je odzvala". Večer (in Slovenian). 9 July 2025. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  100. ↑ "Nobel laureates pick Francesca Albanese for Peace Prize, Get all-round support". Archived from the original on 23 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  101. ↑ "NDP intends to nominate UN Special Rapporteur for the Nobel Peace Prize". Canada's NDP. Archived from the original on 13 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  102. ↑ "Firenze, niente cittadinanza onoraria per Francesca Albanese: si valuta altro riconoscimento". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 3 December 2025. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  103. ↑ "Florence: Commission postpones vote on citizenship for Albanese". Lapresse.US. 3 December 2025. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  104. ↑ "Cittadinanza onoraria a Francesca Albanese, rinviato il voto: si salva (per ora) l'unità dem". Il Tirreno (in Italian). 4 December 2025. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025 – via MSN.
  105. ↑ "Territori palestinesi: a Francesca Albanese (relatrice speciale ONU) il Premio Stefano Chiarini". Onu Italia (in Italian). 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  106. ↑ "Premio Chiarini a Francesca Albanese, Relatrice Onu sui diritti umani nei Territori Palestinesi". il manifesto. 12 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  107. ↑ "Vanessa Frazier is runner up in UN top diplomats award". Times of Malta. 24 December 2024. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  108. ↑ "Francesca Albanese wint Dries van Agt-prijs 2025". rightsforum.org. 12 February 2025. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  109. ↑ "U.N.'s Francesca Albanese awarded Taqi Ebtekar Prize for exposing Israel's genocide". en.irna.ir. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  110. ↑ Times, The Brussels (18 January 2026). "Belgian universities award honorary doctorate to UN rapporteur". www.brusselstimes.com.
  111. ↑ Ayuso, Silvia (2 April 2026). "Universidades belgas reconocen a Francesca Albanese con un 'honoris causa' pese a protestas de la comunidad judía". El País (in Spanish).
  112. ↑ Albanese, Francesca [@FranceskAlbs] (9 November 2023). "3/4 A proposito, mio marito, economista fenomenale, dal 2012 è funzionario della Banca Mondiale,con cui ha pubblicato un rapporto sui gravi costi economici imposti dall'occupazione israeliana ai Palestinesi in West Bank" [3/4 By the way, my husband, a phenomenal economist, has been an official at the World Bank since 2012, where he published a report on the severe economic costs imposed by the Israeli occupation on the Palestinians in the West Bank.] (Tweet) (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2023 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  113. ↑ "Why Palestine is 'the red pill' with Francesca Albanese". New Internationalist. 6 August 2025. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
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