Correction: U.S. Sanctions Albanese Over Antisemitism, Pro-Terror Rhetoric, and Threats to U.S. Interests

Francecsa Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” is not an international lawyer. She is; however, a biased…

By July 10, 2025

Francecsa Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” is not an international lawyer. She is; however, a biased terror justifier and supporter who denies Israel’s right to self defense. She continuously insists that the West hasn’t done enough to withdraw any kind of support or dealings with Israel and spouts antisemitic rhetoric, while denying she is antisemitic.

As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the United States would finally sanction Albanese for her threat to U.S. interests, Western media took that to mean she was sanctioned for her criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas – claiming it was a continuation of the “war” on Pro-Palestinian advocates, and an attempt to silence those who “looking into alleged crimes committed by Israel as the war in Gaza continues,” as stated by CNN.

Headlines from the likes of the BBC, CNN, Associated Press (AP), Bloomberg and beyond downplayed who she really is and the real threat she poses.

The source? A wire article from AP by Farnoush Amiri titled “US issues sanctions against UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza.”

Amiri editorializes, claiming that the U.S. aims to “punish critics” of Israel’s war in Gaza.

For over a year, the media have ignored the violent and antisemitic nature of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses in the U.S., and instead, painted these activists as peaceful demonstrators who advocate for equal rights for all people.

From Mahmoud Khalil to Mohsen Mahdawi these are not just peaceful demonstrators exercising their right to freedom of speech and protest.

In Albanese’s case, she has said numerous times that resistance is acceptable “by any means, including armed struggle,” including at a Hamas conference in Gaza to a room filled with Hamas senior officials.

So no, AP, this is not a campaign to silence criticism of Israel. It is a campaign to combat terror supporters, antisemites and threats to U.S. interests, including Israel. This isn’t a statement on politics, it’s a statement on media transparency.

The Times took things a step further, using Albanese’s past comments to make their point. Reporter George Grylls describes a 2024 interview in which Albanese was asked whether she believed Israel has the right to exist. Her answer? Avoidant.

As for the Telegraph’s take? Well, apparently the evidence she has presented herself over the years isn’t enough. She is merely “accused” of “bias,” and again, sanctioned “over Israel criticism.”

As the media continue to reel from this exceptional move, it’s important to remind the world who Francesca Albanese is and what the U.S. sanction actually stands for, because the media certainly won’t. UN Watch’s Executive Director Hillel Neuer said it best:


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Image Credit: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Channa Rifkin

Channa Rifkin

Channa started her career in broadcast journalism as producer and correspondent at ILTV and i24NEWS, focusing on Israel, the Middle East and Jewish World. She studied Communications and Political Science at Bar-Ilan University and attained a master's degree in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies at Reichman University in Israel.

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