Trump administration sanctions Francesca Albanese for ‘unabashed antisemitism’

Albanese recently “escalated” her efforts by penning “threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide, including major American companies across finance, technology, defense, energy and hospitality, making extreme and unfounded accusations and recommending the ICC pursue investigations and prosecutions of these companies and their executives,” he explained.

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

Albanese authored a report, released last week, accusing companies and organisations of being complicit in Israel’s so-called “genocide” in Gaza. One of them, Google, has countered that and pointed fingers at the United Nations of anti-Israel bias and more.

Sergey Brin, son of Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, cites a UN report accusing his company of profiting off “genocide” in Gaza, calling the global body “transparently antisemitic.”

Dorothy Shea, the interim ambassador to the United Nations, sent a letter last week to António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, calling for Albanese’s removal and for Guterres to condemn her rhetoric and actions.

Guterres’s office has long insisted that he lacks purview over Albanese, who is appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. A spokesman for Guterres told JNS that his office had no immediate comment.

“This is a bold and courageous move by Secretary Rubio. No UN official—in this case, a purported official, as her reappointment was illegal—has ever been sanctioned before in history,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the non-governmental organization UN Watch. 

He stated that “Francesca Albanese is an openly antisemitic supporter of terrorism. She has accused the ‘Jewish lobby’ of controlling America. She blamed the CIA and Mossad for the ISIS terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo journalists in 2015. On Oct. 7, 2023, she justified the Hamas attacks, tweeting ‘today’s violence must be put in context.’”

Now, said Neuer, “she will never again spread her poison on American campuses or enter the country. Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.”

Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign minister, stated that the decision sent “a clear message” and that it was “time for the UN to pay attention.”

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said Albanese’s “relentless and biased campaign against Israel and the United States has long crossed the line from human-rights advocacy into political warfare.”

“Albanese has consistently debased the credibility of the United Nations by promoting false, dangerous narratives that are detached from reality,” he stated. “Israel stands firmly with the United States in rejecting these one-sided attacks. We will not remain silent while those tasked with impartiality weaponize their platforms.”

Leo Terrell, chair of the federal task force on combating Jew-hatred, who called for Albanese’s removal in May in a blunt letter, told JNS that he applauds the decision.

“I called for her removal due to her long and troubling record of antisemitic rhetoric,” he told JNS. “This long-overdue step sends a clear message. Such hatred will not be tolerated.”

Albanese has previously denied accusations of antisemitism.