The US State Department renews its accusations against Albanese of anti-Semitism and targeting Israel.

Washington - Saeed Erekat

In response to a question from a Jerusalem correspondent, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce denied that the timing of the US sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Francesca Albanese, coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit and Albanese's condemnation of Greece, France, and Italy for allowing Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, to fly over their airspace. These countries are signatories to the Rome Statute.

Bruce said, "In recent weeks, Francesca Albanese has targeted American companies in an unacceptable campaign of political and economic warfare. The United States will take whatever action it deems necessary and appropriate to protect its sovereignty, Israel's, and any other U.S. ally's from the ICC's unlawful actions."

"This is not a one-off action. This has been a long-standing issue," spokeswoman Bruce said in response to a question from the Jerusalem correspondent. "What I will tell you today—and to elaborate—is that the United States is imposing sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, for abusing that role to directly engage in the International Criminal Court's proceedings against Israeli officials."

“As the President’s Executive Order 14203 makes clear, the ICC’s actions set a dangerous precedent for lawfare that threatens our national security and foreign policy and violates U.S. sovereignty,” the spokeswoman added. “The President has declared a national emergency under the executive order, which, in his words, affirms that ‘the United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for ICC abuses,’ which will include blocking property and imposing visa restrictions. The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary and appropriate to protect our sovereignty, to protect Israel, and to protect any other U.S. ally—any other U.S. ally—from the ICC’s wrongful actions. That’s why this happened.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the United States has decided to impose sanctions on the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, for her "illegal and shameful efforts to push the International Criminal Court to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."

"We will no longer tolerate Albanese's political and economic campaign against the United States and Israel," Rubio said. "We will always stand with our partners in their right to self-defense."

In 2024, Israel declared Albanese persona non grata and barred her from entering the country due to her denunciation of the war crimes and genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation army against civilians in the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip.

"The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to Albanese's biased and malicious activities, which have long disqualified her from serving as Special Rapporteur," Rubio said. "Albanese has openly expressed anti-Semitism, supported terrorism, and publicly despised the United States, Israel, and the West."

Rubio's decision came hours after Albanese posted a tweet on Twitter denouncing three European countries—France, Italy, and Greece—that are signatories to the Rome Protocol, for failing to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from using their airspace on his way to the United States, as required by their obligations as members of the protocol.

Francesca Albanese criticized the countries that allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fly over their airspace on his way to the United States, suggesting that they may have violated their obligations under international law.

Albanese said on Wednesday that the governments of Italy, France, and Greece should explain why they provided "safe passage" to Netanyahu, whom they were theoretically obliged to "arrest" as an internationally wanted suspect when he flew over their territory on his way to meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday for talks.

It's worth noting that the three countries are signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the Hague-based International Criminal Court in 2002, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel's war on Gaza. Albanese wrote on X: "Italian, French, and Greek citizens deserve to know that every political action that violates the international legal order weakens and endangers them all. And it endangers us all."

The United Nations on Thursday rejected the "unacceptable" sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump on an independent UN rapporteur for her criticism of Israel, and called for their repeal.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York, told reporters that the measures taken against Francesca Albanese, a UN-appointed independent expert on the Palestinian territories, set a "dangerous precedent."

He explained that while member states had the right to disagree with the reports of independent experts, such disagreements should be addressed within the framework of the United Nations.

"The use of unilateral sanctions against special rapporteurs or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable," he told reporters at his regular press briefing.

He stressed that Italian human rights activist Albanese was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, explaining that Secretary-General Guterres has no authority over her work.