Anger as controversial UN official retains position
Francesca Albanese previously made inflammatory claims about a ‘Jewish lobby’ influencing America
Controversial UN official Francesca Albanese, who previously claimed that America was “subjugated by the Jewish lobby”, has been reconfirmed in her role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The renewal of Albanese’s mandate until 2028 was announced by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Friday, prompting immediate backlash from Israel, the US, and advocacy groups.
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, condemned the decision, branding Albanese’s reappointment “a disgrace and a moral stain on the United Nations.”
Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and president of advocacy group Human Rights Voices, urged the US government to respond by withdrawing funding from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Concerns had earlier been raised by advocacy group UN Watch and prominent parliamentarians, including Brian Mast, chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee. Mast questioned Albanese’s suitability, but these objections were dismissed by the UNHRC.
Albanese has consistently faced criticism for provocative statements about Israel and Jewish communities. She has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and called for Israel’s suspension from the UN. In 2014, she notably claimed that the US was controlled by a “Jewish lobby”.
Albanese has also drawn parallels between Israel and Nazi Germany and controversially stated that the violence of the October 7 attacks needed to be “put in context”.
Several governments, including the US, Canada, France, Germany, and Israel, have expressed deep concern over Albanese’s rhetoric. The US Mission to the UN wrote explicitly to Secretary-General António Guterres, criticising Albanese for “demonising Israel and supporting Hamas”, concluding that she was “unfit for her role”. Despite this, the UNHRC chose to reaffirm her position.
In an apparent dismissal of the criticism, Albanese shared a congratulatory post on X regarding her renewed mandate, stating, “Despite disingenuous efforts to have her fired.”
She previously described opposition to her as a smear campaign, with her supporters portraying her as a committed advocate for Palestinian rights.
Earlier this year, the Board of Deputies urged the UN to remove Albanese after she publicly supported disgraced academic David Miller in a subsequently deleted post on X.
“The UN’s ‘Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories’, Francesca Albanese, has a history of highly inflammatory statements about Israel and Jews,” the Board stated. “Now, she has publicly supported notorious conspiracy theorist and employee of the Iranian regime’s Press TV, David Miller.”
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