The United States announced sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, on Wednesday. This move by the Trump administration is the latest in its efforts to target critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza. Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer, has repeatedly described Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian enclave as a “genocide.”
The State Department’s decision to sanction Albanese follows an unsuccessful U.S. pressure campaign to remove her from her post at the international body. It also coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week for meetings with President Donald Trump and other officials regarding the conflict in Gaza.
The practical impact of these sanctions on Albanese’s ability to travel to the U.S. with diplomatic paperwork remains unclear.
Allegations and Responses
Albanese has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions, calling for an immediate ceasefire and supporting the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, for alleged war crimes. Her July 1 report to the Human Rights Council focused on Western defense companies providing weapons to Israel and manufacturers of earth-moving equipment used to demolish Palestinian homes, as well as citing activities by companies in shipping, real estate, technology, banking and finance, online travel, and academia. “While life in Gaza is being obliterated and the West Bank is under escalating assault, this report shows why Israel’s genocide continues: because it is lucrative for many,” her report stated.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on social media that “Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defence.”
Both Israel and the U.S., which provides military support to Israel, have strongly denied the accusation of genocide. Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva called Albanese’s report “legally groundless, defamatory, and a flagrant abuse of her office” that “whitewashed Hamas atrocities.” The U.S. mission to the UN also issued a statement last week calling for her removal due to “a years-long pattern of virulent anti-Semitism and unrelenting anti-Israel bias,” asserting that her allegations of genocide or apartheid are “false and offensive.”
Broader Context of the Conflict and US Policy
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people captive. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry states that women and children make up most of the dead, but does not specify how many were fighters or civilians.
Nearly 21 months into the conflict, the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, and critically wounded individuals face immense difficulty in receiving necessary care, as reported by doctors and aid workers.
The sanctions against Albanese are part of a broader trend under the Trump administration of disengaging with and scrutinizing UN human rights mechanisms. The U.S. withdrew from the Human Rights Council earlier this year and has also imposed sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court. This policy has drawn criticism from human rights organizations who view such actions as attempts to undermine international justice frameworks.
