The UN Human Rights Council renewed the tenure of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 during a vote on Saturday.
Albanese herself confirmed the results of the vote with multiple posts on X/Twitter.
The confirmation comes despite opposition from the US, UN Watch, and hundreds of thousands of petitioners.
On Thursday, Geneva-Based NGO UN Watch submitted a petition with 100,000 signatures against renewing Albanese’s tenure.
.@SwissAmbUN_GVA I hereby present you, as President of the Human Rights Council, with our petition signed by 100,000 people from around the world urging you not to reappoint Hamas supporter Francesca Albanese, on account of her persistent violations.https://t.co/XV9yn4EOly
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 3, 2025
Also, on Thursday, The United States mission to the United Nations sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stating that it opposes the renewal of Francesca Albanese’s role as UN Special Rapporteur due to her “virulent antisemitism, which demonizes Israel and supports Hamas,” the mission confirmed on X/Twitter.
Today, the US sent SG @antonioguterres a letter opposing Francesca Albanese’s renewal as UN Special Rapporteur. We condemn her virulent antisemitism, which demonizes Israel and supports Hamas. She has clearly violated the UN’s code of conduct and is unfit for her role. Her…
— U.S. Mission to the UN (@USUN) April 3, 2025
“She has clearly violated the UN’s code of conduct and is unfit for her role,” their post continued.
On Tuesday, Rep. Brian Mast – the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee – sent a letter to the UN President of the Human Rights Council expressing objection to Albanese’s term renewal, which would involve a second term of three years.
Mast wrote that UN Special Rapporteurs have a duty to uphold the code of conduct as written in Council Resolution 5/2, which states that they must act in an independent and impartial capacity.
Hamas apologism
“Special Rapporteur Albanese has failed to uphold the code,” he wrote. “She 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.”
“Ms. Albanese unapologetically uses her position as a UN Special Rapporteur to purvey and attempt to legitimize antisemitic tropes, while serving as a Hamas apologist.”
Following the Hamas massacre on October 7, Albanese wrote that “violence must be put in context” and that the attack occurred in response to Israeli “aggression.”
Previous calls for action against Albanese
In October, United Nations Watch published a report titled “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Why Democracies Should Sanction UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese,” urging democratic nations to impose sanctions on Albanese and accusing her of promoting antisemitism, supporting terrorism, and spreading misinformation.
The report called for Albanese’s removal, citing a series of statements and actions that violate UN impartiality standards and promote hatred against Israel and the Jewish people. UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights group, demands swift action to terminate her mandate.
The report identified numerous instances in which Albanese has been accused of using antisemitic rhetoric. In a 2014 Facebook post, Albanese claimed, “America is subjugated by the Jewish Lobby,” a classic antisemitic trope suggesting Jewish control of governments. In another incident from February 2024, she downplayed the atrocities of the October 7 Hamas massacre, dismissing it as a “reaction to Israel’s oppression,” even after Hamas targeted Jewish civilians in the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust. France called her remarks “scandalous” and “a disgrace,” while Germany condemned them as “appalling.”
The report also cited Albanese’s frequent comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany. In July 2024, she reportedly compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. In another instance, she described Gaza as “the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century,” which UN Watch notes is a textbook case of antisemitism under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
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