United States Sanctions UN Expert Who Criticises Israeli War in Gaza

(Patria) - The United States of America announced it is imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has been highly critical of the war of US ally Israel in Gaza, Reuters reported.

"Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to instigate action (by the International Criminal Court) against American and Israeli officials, companies and executives," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.

Albanese, an Italian lawyer and academic, has called on states in the UN Human Rights Council to impose an arms embargo and sever trade and financial ties with Israel, accusing the US ally of waging a "genocidal campaign" in Gaza.

Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court over the war in Gaza. Israel denies the accusations and claims its campaign amounts to self-defence after the deadly Hamas attack in October 2023.

In a report published earlier this month, Albanese accuses over sixty companies, including major arms manufacturers and technology firms, of involvement in supporting Israeli settlements and military actions in Gaza.

The report calls on companies to cease business with Israel and for executives involved in violations of international law to be held legally accountable.
Albanese is one of dozens of independent human rights experts mandated by the United Nations to report on specific topics and crises. The views expressed by the special rapporteurs do not reflect the views of the global body as a whole.

The administration of Donald Trump in June imposed sanctions on four judges of the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an earlier decision to open a case on alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.