Who is Francesca Albanese? UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza – and why US sanctioned her

The United States on Wednesday introduced new sanctions in opposition to senior UN Human Rights Council official Francesca Albanese who criticized Israel’s navy 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 mentioned in a put up 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 tutorial specializing in human rights. She earned her regulation diploma from the University of Pisa and later accomplished a Master of Laws in human rights at SOAS, University of London. Since May 2022, she has held the place of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.Before assuming her present place, Albanese held roles inside a number of UN businesses, together with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and labored with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration. Although she has not taken the Italian bar examination, Albanese has defined that she opted to pursue a profession in academia and worldwide human rights as an alternative of training regulation in Italy.In February of final yr, Albanese got here underneath fireplace for remarks suggesting that the victims of Hamas’ October 7 assault “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 focus on US and Israeli officers, corporations, and executives. The sanctions replicate Washington’s stance on defending its sovereignty and supporting allies like Israel in the face of what it sees as politically motivated worldwide authorized assaults. The transfer follows rising bipartisan criticism of Albanese’s conduct and statements, notably her framing of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal and her controversial remarks following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on Israel. Both the Biden and Trump administrations, together with pro-Israel advocacy teams, have accused her of antisemitism and bias, citing her statements that contextualized the assault as a response to a long time of Palestinian oppression and her repeated rejection of Israel’s proper to self-protection. Her latest report, “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” which alleges company complicity in Israel’s actions, additional fueled US issues and contributed to the choice to sanction her.