‘Malicious’: US sanctions UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese

5 hours ago 3

Washington: The United States has placed sanctions on human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, in a dramatic move believed to be the first time the US has directly sanctioned a UN representative.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February that allows the government to target anyone deemed to have assisted the International Criminal Court against a citizen of the US or Israel.

United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese at the National Press Club in Canberra in November 2023.

“The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a special rapporteur,” Rubio said.

“Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.

“That bias has been apparent across the span of her career, including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.”

The ICC issued the arrest warrants in November. Netanyahu is currently on a multi-day visit to Washington and has met twice with Trump, along with other senior administration officials.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Albanese would be targeted by sanctions.

Albanese, who is no relation to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been a prominent critic of what she calls Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and hardline Israeli activists had lobbied the Trump administration to sanction her.

Hillel Neuer, who runs a project called UN Watch, applauded the decision. “You will never again spread your poison on American campuses or enter the country,” he said of Albanese. “Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.”

Neither the US nor Israel are signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court in 2002, and do not recognise the court’s jurisdiction. The US has previously sanctioned ICC prosecutors.

In the past 24 hours, Albanese demanded the governments of Italy, France and Greece explain why they allowed Netanyahu to fly over their airspace on his way to meet Trump in Washington, given they would be obligated to arrest the Israeli prime minister on their territory.

France is among the nations to criticise Albanese for her remarks following the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing response by Israel, which has now killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Albanese toured Australia in November 2023, a month after the Hamas attack, during which she spoke at the National Press Club and appeared on the ABC’s now-axed Q&A program. The latter generated a tirade of complaints owing to an organised campaign.

In an interview with this masthead at the time, Albanese said Israel should make peace with Hamas despite the October 7 atrocity, and accused Australia of being complicit in death and destruction in Gaza.

Under the US executive order, individuals may be blocked from entering or conducting business in the country, and have their property and assets frozen. Albanese and the UN did not immediately comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited US lawmakers on Capitol Hill during his week in Washington.

Rubio said Albanese had escalated her activism by writing “threatening letters” to American companies, making “extreme and unfounded accusations”, and recommending the ICC pursue investigations and prosecutions of the companies and their executives.

“We will not tolerate these campaigns of political and economic warfare, which threaten our national interests and sovereignty,” he said.

“The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare, to check and prevent illegitimate ICC overreach and abuse of power, and to protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

The move came as Trump said there was a “very good chance” that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza would be struck later this week or next week, following Netanyahu’s visit, although he said there was no certainty.

“There’s nothing definite about war and Gaza and a lot of the other places that we all deal with so much,” he told reporters on Wednesday (early Thursday AEST).

One of the sticking points in the purported deal involves the option for Israel to resume hostilities after a 60-day ceasefire. The Times of Israel reported the Trump administration had assured mediators it would not allow Israel to restart the war, even if an explicit guarantee were omitted from the text of the agreement.

“President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price,” Netanyahu told reporters Wednesday. “I want a deal, but not at any price.”

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