UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese ignites fury after defending Hamas as a legitimate political force, downplaying its terror, and accusing Israel of genocide — prompting US sanctions and calls for her removal.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” is once again at the center of controversy after publicly defending Hamas in remarks shared on social media this week.
In Italian, Albanese told her audience that people misunderstood Hamas:
“Hamas is a political force that won the elections in 2005, whether we like it or not. Those were called the most democratic elections.”
She further claimed Hamas was responsible for much of Gaza’s public infrastructure — schools, hospitals, and social services — while ignoring repeated evidence that Hamas embeds its terror operations inside and beneath these same civilian structures, as revealed by the IDF during the war.
“It is critical that you understand that when you think of Hamas, you should not necessarily think of cut-throats, people armed to the teeth or fighters. It’s not like that,” Albanese told the crowd.
Her remarks came despite the group’s October 7, 2023 massacre, in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including women and children, and abducted over 250 people. Testimonies from survivors and autopsies confirm widespread sexual violence, torture, and execution-style killings carried out by the terror group.
A Pattern of Controversy
Albanese has a long record of incendiary statements:
- She has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide, war crimes, and apartheid.
- She told The Guardian that Palestinians had already “won the legitimacy battle” against Israel.
- Following October 7, she claimed the massacre was “contextual violence” in response to Israeli “aggression.”
- In a resurfaced 2014 Facebook post, she wrote: “America is subjugated by the Jewish Lobby.”
Washington Pushes Back
The backlash has not been limited to Israel. Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions on Albanese over her efforts to involve the International Criminal Court in targeting American and Israeli officials and companies.
“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” Rubio said.
The Trump administration has also demanded her removal from the UN, accusing her of “virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism.”
With her latest remarks, critics say Albanese has crossed the line from bias to outright defense of Hamas — undermining the UN’s credibility and fueling calls for her dismissal.Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” is once again at the center of controversy after publicly defending Hamas in remarks shared on social media this week.
In Italian, Albanese told her audience that people misunderstood Hamas:
“Hamas is a political force that won the elections in 2005, whether we like it or not. Those were called the most democratic elections.”
She further claimed Hamas was responsible for much of Gaza’s public infrastructure — schools, hospitals, and social services — while ignoring repeated evidence that Hamas embeds its terror operations inside and beneath these same civilian structures, as revealed by the IDF during the war.
“It is critical that you understand that when you think of Hamas, you should not necessarily think of cut-throats, people armed to the teeth or fighters. It’s not like that,” Albanese told the crowd.
Her remarks came despite the group’s October 7, 2023 massacre, in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including women and children, and abducted over 250 people. Testimonies from survivors and autopsies confirm widespread sexual violence, torture, and execution-style killings carried out by the terror group.
A Pattern of Controversy
Albanese has a long record of incendiary statements:
- She has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide, war crimes, and apartheid.
- She told The Guardian that Palestinians had already “won the legitimacy battle” against Israel.
- Following October 7, she claimed the massacre was “contextual violence” in response to Israeli “aggression.”
- In a resurfaced 2014 Facebook post, she wrote: “America is subjugated by the Jewish Lobby.”
Washington Pushes Back
The backlash has not been limited to Israel. Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions on Albanese over her efforts to involve the International Criminal Court in targeting American and Israeli officials and companies.
“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,” Rubio said.
The Trump administration has also demanded her removal from the UN, accusing her of “virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism.”
With her latest remarks, critics say Albanese has crossed the line from bias to outright defense of Hamas — undermining the UN’s credibility and fueling calls for her dismissal.
