U.S. sanctions UN rights monitor for ‘political warfare’ against Israel

The United States has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, citing her efforts to push for International Criminal Court action against American and Israeli officials.

The decision, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marks a sharp escalation in Washington’s confrontation with the UN over what it describes as Albanese’s campaign of “political and economic warfare.”

“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” Rubio posted on X. “We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defence.” He added that the U.S. “will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

The sanctions were imposed under a February executive order targeting individuals who seek to involve the ICC in prosecuting U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives. According to the State Department, Albanese’s outreach to the ICC included “threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide,” including major American firms in industries such as defence, finance, technology, and energy, urging investigations into their alleged complicity in what she terms Israeli crimes in Gaza.

Sanctions include a freeze on any U.S.-based assets, a prohibition on Americans and U.S. entities from conducting financial transactions with her, and an effective bar on Albanese travelling to the U.S.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar lauded Rubio’s announcement, tweeting that the sanctions are “A clear message. Time for the UN to pay attention.”

Albanese is an Italian human rights lawyer and former official for the embattled United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which supports Palestinian refugees. Israel opposed Albanese’s appointment as rapporteur in 2022 based on her history of support for a one-state solution and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. The two-state solution — the creation of a Palestinian state based on a negotiated agreement between Israeli and Palestinian leaders — is the basis for international diplomacy and the UN’s efforts to get peace talks back on track.

She has repeatedly called Israel an “apartheid” state and compared the Palestinian situation to the Nazi Holocaust.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, she asserted that the attacks must be seen within a “context of decades of oppression imposed on the Palestinians.” The statement drew fierce backlash from both Republican and Democratic officials in the U.S., who condemned her for rationalising terrorism.

More recently, Albanese has called for international sanctions on Israel and accused global corporations of sustaining a “genocide economy.” She warned that continued business activity with Israel could expose companies to international legal action. The report, which cited a highly contested death toll in Gaza, was dismissed by critics as biased and inflammatory.

Days after two Israelis were killed in twin bombings of Jerusalem bus stops, she told an audience at a Hamas-organised event, “you have a right to resist Israel.”

Israeli authorities barred Albanese from entering the country in 2024.

Rubio’s announcement came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a four-day visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. officials to discuss efforts toward a hostage deal and a possible ceasefire in Gaza.

“The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese,” Rubio said in a statement. “She has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has sanctioned international legal figures over actions involving Israel. In February, the U.S. imposed sanctions on ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan following his decision to seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. At the time, Rubio said such actions represented a “gross infringement” on U.S. and Israeli sovereignty, as neither country is a signatory to the Rome Statute that governs the ICC.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.