EU Condemns US Sanctions on UN Official Francesca Albanese Amid Ongoing Anti-Israel Controversy
The European Union on Friday voiced strong disapproval of the United States’ decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestinian Authority-controlled territories, who has drawn widespread criticism for her consistently anti-Israel rhetoric.
“We deeply regret the decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese,” said EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni during a daily briefing in Brussels, according to Reuters. He emphasized that the EU “strongly supports the United Nations human rights system.”
Albanese was sanctioned earlier this week by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who cited her role in contributing to “illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis” at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The move comes after Albanese released a controversial report listing over 60 companies, including several American firms, accusing them of aiding Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and supporting IDF operations in Gaza.
The US action drew immediate backlash from international figures and human rights bodies sympathetic to Albanese’s work. Despite her contentious statements, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recently extended her mandate for another three-year term, fueling further criticism of the Council’s approach to Israel.
Albanese’s history of inflammatory remarks includes antisemitic posts from 2022, where she suggested that a “Jewish lobby” controls US foreign policy. Though she later claimed her statements were “mischaracterized,” her continued statements have reinforced perceptions of deep bias.
Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre—which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 250 hostages—Albanese described the attack as an act that must be seen “in context,” portraying it as a response to Israeli aggression.
In the months since, she has accused Israel of genocide, likened the Israeli government to the “Third Reich,” and directly compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, escalating tensions between her office and Western governments.
While the EU reaffirmed its backing of the UN human rights system, the US sanctions reflect growing frustration in Washington over what officials perceive as institutional bias and the misuse of human rights platforms to delegitimize Israel.
