UN expert Francesca Albanese told The New Arab that a campaign by pro-Israel group UN Watch sought to silence criticism of Israel, accusing politicians of embracing its claims without scrutiny [Getty]
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has dismissed a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group’s campaign to have her sanctioned by the United States as a “pathetic” attempt to silence criticism of Israel, saying she was more concerned by the politicians who embraced the effort than those who led it.
Speaking to The New Arab, Albanese responded after UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer publicly boasted that his organisation had led a successful campaign to pressure Washington into sanctioning her over her criticism of Israel and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
“I don’t blame him. He is just a lobbyist, and however foolish his accusations may be, they’re simply the desperate moves of someone trying very hard to do his job well and get me out of the system in the process,” Albanese said.
“I almost pity him for how pathetic he looks in his childish attempts to sound successful,” she added.
“What does concern me are the politicians and state officials who have caved to pressure, whether out of ideological sympathy or sheer ignorance. Nothing justifies swallowing a rotten lobbying campaign whole without checking the facts and sources behind it,” she said.
Her comments came after Neuer told an audience at the Jewish News Syndicate International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Monday that UN Watch had “led a campaign” against Albanese, pressuring US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action against her.
Neuer described the lobbying effort as successful, pointing to US sanctions imposed on Albanese last year after the United Nations declined to remove her from her position.
Albanese has emerged as one of the most prominent international voices documenting Israel’s war on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territory.
Her reports have highlighted that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians and called for accountability for governments and corporations linked to Israeli policies and military actions.
The sanctions imposed by Washington marked the first known case of a sitting UN special rapporteur being targeted by the United States.
After months of pressure from pro-Israel lobbying groups, Rubio announced sanctions on Albanese, accusing her of conducting “political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel and of antisemitism, allegations she has repeatedly denied.
Albanese and rights groups have described the sanctions as clear retaliation for her work investigating Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
The measures barred her from entering the United States and restricted dealings involving US financial institutions. They were temporarily blocked by a federal judge in May before being reinstated weeks later when her name reappeared on a US Treasury sanctions list.
UN Watch has repeatedly targeted Albanese throughout her tenure, campaigning for her removal and seeking to discredit her findings. Earlier this year, the organisation circulated a selectively edited video clip that falsely appeared to show her describing Israel as “the common enemy of all humanity”.
The full remarks, delivered at an Al Jazeera forum, referred instead to “the system that has enabled the genocide in Palestine”.
Despite continued efforts to pressure international institutions and governments to act against her, Albanese indicated that the larger concern was the willingness of officials to accept lobbying claims without scrutiny.
“Nothing justifies swallowing a rotten lobbying campaign whole without checking the facts and sources behind it,” she told The New Arab.
