Academic accountability prevails as Israel’s critics face consequences for legitimizing terror narratives and antisemitic rhetoric.
Georgetown University has formally severed all affiliation with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for so-called “Palestinian rights,” following her designation by the United States as a sanctioned individual for antisemitism and extremist rhetoric.
Anna Maria Mayda, director of Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of International Migration, confirmed that Albanese no longer holds any academic affiliation, citing federal law prohibiting US institutions from engaging with sanctioned individuals. Albanese had served as an affiliated scholar at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, granting her academic access despite not being a formal employee.
The move followed sustained advocacy by UN Watch, which exposed Albanese’s long record of antisemitic statements and ideological hostility toward Israel. In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Albanese had “spewed unabashed antisemitism,” expressed sympathy for terrorism, and displayed contempt for Israel, the United States, and Western democratic values.
That same month, the US Treasury Department designated Albanese a specially designated national, legally barring American individuals and institutions from maintaining any financial or institutional ties with her. Albanese later admitted publicly that her academic engagements in the US had been terminated.
Albanese’s bias first became evident in 2022 when she propagated conspiracy-laden claims about a “Jewish lobby” controlling US policy—language long recognized as a classic antisemitic trope. Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023—when terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israelis and abducted 250 civilians—her rhetoric escalated further. Rather than condemning terrorism, she framed the atrocity as “contextual,” echoing narratives widely promoted by Palestinian factions and sympathetic Arab regimes.
In recent months, Albanese has accused Israel of genocide, compared its democratically elected government to the Third Reich, and likened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler—crossing from political critique into extremist demonization.
Georgetown’s decision marks a broader reckoning: Western institutions are increasingly unwilling to legitimize radical activism masquerading as human-rights advocacy, particularly when it fuels antisemitism and excuses terror against the Jewish state.
