UN expert Albanese rejects ‘obscene’ US sanctions for criticising Israel

UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese tells Al Jazeera Washington’s determination is retaliation for ‘pursuit of justice’ successful Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

United Nations adept Francesca Albanese has slammed the determination by the United States to authorisation her arsenic “obscene”, saying she is being targeted for calling retired Israel’s genocide successful Gaza.

Speaking to Al Jazeera connected Thursday, Albanese, who serves arsenic the UN’s peculiar rapporteur connected the occupied Palestinian territory, said she would not beryllium cowed into soundlessness by the US determination against her connected Wednesday.

Albanese stressed that the penalties imposed by President Donald Trump’s medication would not halt her “quest for [the] respect of justness and planetary law”.

The peculiar rapporteur said Washington’s tactics reminded her of “Mafia intimidation techniques” earlier suggesting that “sanctions volition lone enactment if radical are frightened and halt engaging”.

“I privation to punctual everyone [that] the crushed wherefore these sanctions are being imposed is the pursuit of justice,” Albanese said.

“Of people I’ve been captious of Israel. It has been committing genocide and crimes against humanity and warfare crimes,” she added.

While announcing the sanctions connected Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio charged Albanese with waging a “campaign of governmental and economical warfare against the United States and Israel”.

The UN rapporteur deed backmost connected Thursday, noting that the atrocities being committed successful Gaza were not conscionable down to “the unrelinquished territorial ambitions of Israel” and the backing of its supporters but besides “companies who are profiting from it”.

Last week, she released a report mapping the corporations aiding Israel successful the displacement of Palestinians and its genocidal warfare connected Gaza successful breach of planetary law.

Albanese told Al Jazeera that she was inactive evaluating the effects the US sanctions would person connected her.

However, she said her problems are thing compared with what Palestinians look successful Gaza during Israel’s ongoing bombardments, crushed operations and blockade of the territory.

Albanese besides took purpose astatine the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), calling it a “death trap”. The Israeli- and US-backed radical runs the assistance organisation sites wherever hundreds of Palestinians person been changeable and killed since precocious May portion queueing for food.

Smoke rises from an Israeli onslaught connected Gaza connected July 10, 2025 [Jack Guez/AFP]

Move against Albanese ‘a unsafe precedent’

The UN adept besides defended the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) probe into Israeli actions successful Gaza and its determination to telephone for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apprehension connected charges of warfare crimes.

Rubio has described Albanese’s propulsion for the prosecution of Israeli officials astatine the ICC arsenic the ineligible ground for the sanctions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson was among those to criticise the US sanctions connected Albanese.

While highlighting that Albanese reports to the UN Human Rights Council alternatively than the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric called the determination “a unsafe precedent”.

“The usage of unilateral sanctions against peculiar rapporteurs oregon immoderate different UN adept oregon authoritative is unacceptable,” helium said.

UN Human Rights Council Ambassador Jurg Lauber besides lamented the determination against Albanese.

“I telephone connected each UN subordinate states to afloat cooperate with the peculiar rapporteurs and mandate holders of the assembly and to refrain from immoderate acts of intimidation oregon reprisal against them,” Lauber said.

Israel’s campaign successful Gaza has destroyed astir of the territory and killed much than 57,575 Palestinians implicit the past 21 months, according to section wellness officials.