House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and fellow lawmakers urge UNHRC President Jürg Lauber to reject Francesca Albanese’s reappointment, citing her inflammatory comments on Israel and alleged violations of the UN code of conduct.
Several US lawmakers, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), on Monday called on the president of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Jürg Lauber, to block the reappointment of Francesca Albanese as special rapporteur for the “occupied Palestinian territories.”
The demand, detailed in a letter sent to Lauber, argues that Albanese has failed to uphold the UNHRC code of conduct and has made inflammatory statements regarding Israel, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The letter, co-signed by Representatives Young Kim (R-CA), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Keith Self (R-TX), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Cory Mills (R-FL), and Ryan Zinke (R-MT), asserts that Albanese’s conduct has been unacceptable for a UN-appointed official.
“[Albanese] has consistently aligned herself with Hamas terrorists, accused Israel of genocide, likened the Government of Israel to the ‘Third Reich,’ and compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Council has allowed antisemitism and anti-Americanism to thrive within, with a seeming unwillingness to hold the most egregious violators of human rights to account.”
The lawmakers cite multiple instances in which Albanese allegedly violated the UNHRC code of conduct, which requires special rapporteurs to maintain impartiality, integrity, and professional conduct. They accuse her of promoting antisemitic tropes, acting as a “Hamas apologist,” and making statements that undermine Israel’s legitimacy. They also highlight her criticism of US support for Israel, including claims that American lawmakers are influenced by pro-Israel lobbying efforts.
Albanese’s comments following Hamas’ October 7 attack were a particular focus of the lawmakers’ objections. The attack, in which Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, was described by Albanese as an act that must be viewed in “context” and as a response to Israeli “aggression.”
The lawmakers urged Lauber in the letter to use his authority under UNHRC procedures to prevent Albanese’s reappointment, arguing that her continued presence damages the council’s credibility. “By rejecting the renewal of Ms. Albanese’s term, the Council would bring much-needed credibility, integrity, and accountability back to the institution – attributes of which it has been severely lacking in recent years,” the letter stated.
Albanese’s anti-Israel bias was first exposed in 2022, in the form of antisemitic posts she made on social media, in which she claimed that the “Jewish lobby” controls the US.
At the time, Albanese rejected arguments that the comments about the “Jewish lobby” were antisemitic and claimed they were “mischaracterized”, but her anti-Israel bias has continued to be exposed since.
