Special rapporteur Francesca Albanese was criticised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio for looking into the conflict in the enclave between Israelis and Americans.
KEY FACTS:
- Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian territories, is facing U.S. sanctions for supporting the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by Israelis and Americans in Gaza.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, under an executive order by Donald Trump, announced these sanctions, accusing Albanese of bias and political interference.
- In her June 2025 report, Albanese urged UN member states to sanction Israel, impose an arms embargo, and hold corporations like BlackRock and Vanguard accountable for profiting from the Gaza war.
- The U.S. is not a party to the ICC and has sanctioned other ICC officials, including Prosecutor Karim Khan, for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
- The Gaza conflict began after a Hamas attack in October 2023, leading to ~1,200 Israeli deaths and ~57,000 Palestinian deaths according to reports; Albanese called Israel’s actions a “cruel genocide.”
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, will face sanctions from the US for her work with the International Criminal Court to look into Americans and Israelis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday.
The Trump administration has launched a campaign to punish those who criticise Israel’s assault in Gaza, and Ms. Albanese, an Italian legal expert, has been a vocal opponent of Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Sanctions imposed by an executive order signed by President Trump in February may prevent members of the International Criminal Court from entering the United States and from acquiring assets and real estate there.
A 1998 pact that created the court to look into and bring charges against those suspected of war crimes, genocide, and other crimes is not ratified by the US.
Four judges on the International Criminal Court were targeted by the Trump administration last month for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his war cabinet. After Karim Khan, the court’s head prosecutor, filed a case against Israel over the war, the United States sanctioned him in February.
Ms. Albanese said that Israel was “responsible for one of the cruellest genocides in modern history” during her speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council last week.
She was criticised by Mr. Rubio in a statement on Wednesday for suggesting that the International Criminal Court look into and bring charges against American businesses and executives as part of its probe into war crimes and human rights abuses in Gaza.
“These economic and political warfare campaigns are a threat to our national interests and sovereignty, and we will not tolerate them,” he declared.
Special rapporteurs are independent, unpaid specialists who keep an eye on human rights issues.
Ms. Albanese has been a special rapporteur since 2022, but Mr. Rubio accused her of prejudice, claiming that this rendered her ineligible to hold the role. Since December, Ms. Albanese has been prohibited from visiting Israel by the authorities.
“I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done,” Ms. Albanese posted on social media shortly after Mr. Rubio announced the sanctions.
A request for comment from Ms. Albanese was not immediately answered.
In late June, Ms. Albanese submitted a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council that described the profits made by corporations, such as banks, arms manufacturers, and major asset managers like Vanguard and BlackRock, as a result of Israel’s military budget increasing significantly since the start of its campaign in Gaza in October 2023.
Approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 more were held hostage in a Hamas-led onslaught on Israel that month, which sparked the start of the war. According to Palestinian health authorities, at least 57,000 Palestinians have perished in Gaza as a result of the war.
Ms. Albanese urged U.N. members to place sanctions and a weapons embargo on Israel in her June report. She also urged nations to halt investment and economic ties with Israel and to hold corporations responsible for transgressing international law in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Where is Francesca Albanese from?
Francesca Albanese is from the Italian town of Ariano Irpino. In 1977, she was born there.
What is a special rapporteur?
The UN Human Rights Council appoints an independent expert known as a “special rapporteur” to keep an eye on, give advice on, and report on certain human rights issues, either in a specific nation or on a worldwide, thematic topic. They don’t get paid by the UN and work for themselves.
What are the credentials of Francesca Albanese?
Albanese has a law degree with honours from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London.
Famous book written by Francesca Albanese?
Palestinian Refugees in International Law.
