Francesca Albanese (Italy)

Rafael Medeiros, Esquerda.net | CC BY-SA 2.0

FRANCESCA ALBANESE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (2022 - Ongoing)

Discover the vital work of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. Our dedicated guide offers you an in-depth look at her courageous advocacy and unyielding defence of international humanitarian law on the global stage.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ Francesca Albanese

Hailing from Italy, Albanese is a distinguished figure in the field of international law and human rights. Her work often focuses on the rights of marginalised communities, striving to ensure that international laws serve as a tool for protection and empowerment.

In 2025, Francesca received the Lay Down Your Arms Peace Prize who has “forcefully and unwaveringly worked against Israel’s full-scale war on the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”

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Albanese & Gaza

On 1 May 2022, Albanese was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term. She is the first woman to take on the position.

In her first report, she recommended that UN member states develop “a plan to end the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and apartheid regime”. After the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on October 27th, 2023, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of ethnic cleansing.

In July 2023, Albanese presented a report accusing Israel of turning the West Bank into an "open-air prison" since 1967. During this time, more than 800,000 Palestinians, including children as young as 12, had been arrested and detained by Israeli authorities.

She has continually pushed for nations to implement an embargo on arms sales to Israel, put an end to all trade agreements, enforce accountability for war crimes, and complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.

Albanese was confirmed as the Special Rapporteur for another three years in April 2025.

Genocide Allegations

In March 2024, Albanese reported that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.

Pro-Israel organisations and the U.S. government had been building a case to discredit her work for some time. She was accused of antisemitism, and promoting anti-Israel narrative. This was the start of their campaign to remove her from her position.

In March 2026, she released the “Torture and Genocide” report, which accused Israel of systematic state-sponsored torture against Palestinians. She concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

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Sanctions Against Albanese

In June 2025, the UN published a report by Albanese, which stated that many corporations, including Microsoft, Alphabet Inc., and Amazon, were enabling and indeed profiting from the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the genocide in Gaza.

She urged the International Criminal Court to pursue war crimes prosecutions against the U.S. and Israeli officials.

In response, the U.S. under Trump’s administration, imposed sanctions and she was added to the "Specially Designated Nationals" list, imposing a transactional ban, the freezing of any U.S. assets, intense screening, travel sanctions, and revoking her visa.

She was accused of waging a “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel”.

Israel also banned her from entering the country.

In February 2026, a truncated and heavily edited video was released of Albanese appearing to call Israel the “common enemy of humanity”. The French, German and other European foreign ministries subsequently demanded her resignation.

Rejecting the smear campaign, Albanese refused to step down. She highlighted the clear political discomfort with the findings in her reports and has made it very clear she will continue to expose violations, war crimes, and rampant impunity.

In February 2026, Albanese’s family filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and Marco Rubio concerning the sanctions that also impact them. In May, a U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked all the sanctions aimed at her and her family.

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Francesca Albanese has emerged as one of the most prominent and uncompromising critical voices of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the system of occupation in general.

In the face of intense international pressure, her approach remains strictly based on international law. As she continues her work with the UN, Albanese serves as an inspiring testament to integrity and the common good.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 10.07.26, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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