Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on Palestine, whose tenure has been marked by controversy, has been reappointed for another three years. Several nations and organizations have voiced strong objections to Albanese due to past remarks considered antisemitic. However, a U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) committee tasked with reviewing complaints against Albanese found her “detailed explanations” convincing enough to dismiss the accusations of antisemitism.
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of U.N. Watch, stated to Digital, “We’re talking about one of the world’s most blatant legitimizers of Hamas terrorism, who says literally that Israel does not have a right to defend itself. It’s a horrible statement on the state of the U.N. today.”
U.N. Watch has consistently opposed Albanese and has actively sought to expose what it alleges are breaches of the U.N. Code of Conduct. On Friday, the organization presented a compilation of statements from governments worldwide condemning Albanese’s rhetoric, including those from the U.S., France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Israel, Argentina, Germany, and the U.K.
Prior to Albanese’s reappointment, the U.S. mission to the U.N. conveyed its opposition to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in a letter and released a statement on X.
“We condemn [Albanese’s] virulent antisemitism, which demonizes Israel and supports Hamas. She has clearly violated the U.N.’s Code of Conduct and is unfit for her role. Her reappointment would show the [U.N.] tolerates antisemitic hatred and support for terrorism,” the U.S. mission to the U.N. declared.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee also communicated its opposition to Albanese’s reappointment in a letter to UNHRC President Jürg Lauber, asserting that her rhetoric damaged both the U.N.’s reputation and her own.
“Ms. Albanese unapologetically uses her position as a UN Special Rapporteur to purvey and attempt to legitimize , while serving as a Hamas apologist,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated.
Lauber allegedly failed to report complaints about Albanese to a committee that Neuer characterized as “toothless” and comprised of “Francesca Albanese’s own best friends,” allegedly violating his legal obligations under 8/PRST/2.
In response to complaints filed by U.N. Watch in June and July 2024, the committee acknowledged that “some of her tweets may appear as not being in line with the Code of Conduct and may have been interpreted by some as antisemitic.” However, the committee stated that they were “reassured” by Albanese’s “detailed explanations” that she had not violated the Code of Conduct.
Albanese has been subject to accusations of antisemitism since assuming her role as special rapporteur in May 2022. The maintains a record of Albanese’s statements that have been labeled antisemitic, some of which date back to 2014, several years before her appointment.
In February 2024, Albanese was by France and Germany after she questioned French President Emmanuel Macron’s description of Hamas’ October 7th attacks as “the largest antisemitic massacre of our century,” stating, “The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.”
According to the ADL, France stated that Albanese appeared to “justify” the attacks and that her remarks were “all the more scandalous given that the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the U.N.”