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EXCLUSIVE — A United Nations oversight organization is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take decisive measures against a U.N. appointee whose new term is approaching on May 1.
In a correspondence directed to Rubio, Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of U.N. Watch, asserts that the U.S. government should impose sanctions and deny entry and visa privileges to Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Neuer also called for Albania to lose her diplomatic protections.
In his letter, Neuer characterizes Albanese as “pro-Hamas,” claiming that her reappointment was executed in an “illegal” manner.
Albanese, who serves as the Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, held a press conference at the U.N. City in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 5, 2025. (Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS)
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“Her purported reappointment this month was conducted unlawfully, violating specific U.N. protocols that demand an inquiry into her alleged misconduct, thus nullifying her renewal,” Neuer stated.
In discussions with Fox News Digital, Neuer highlighted the Department of Justice’s recent determination permitting lawsuits against the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine) as proof that Rubio has the authority to act against Albanese.
Neuer advocated that the U.S. should apply similar principles to those utilized in cases against anti-Israel activists, including Mahmoud Khalil. He emphasized that “Albanese’s manipulation of a global platform to incite hatred and justify terrorism calls for an unequivocal response.”
“Legally, it’s apparent — as a former attorney from a leading New York City law firm, I can assert that in any legitimate court of law, instances of such procedural malpractice would disqualify her from being a U.N. appointee,” Neuer articulated to Fox News Digital.
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, participated in the Maghreb-Mashreq Social Forum in Tunis, Tunisia on May 11, 2024. (Mohamed Mdalla/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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In response to U.N. Watch’s correspondence, Pascal Sim, a spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Council, informed Fox News Digital that, “Francesca Albanese, appointed Special Rapporteur regarding human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (a country mandate), was designated by the Human Rights Council on April 1, 2022, coinciding with the conclusion of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council. She began her role on May 1, 2022. Following the ‘no longer than six years’ rule, she is eligible to serve as Special Rapporteur until April 30, 2028.”
Sim went on to clarify that “the Human Rights Council has never been formally or informally summoned to ‘reappoint’ or ‘renew’ any Special Procedures mandate-holder; when nominating a Special Procedures mandate-holder, it is done with an understanding that they may serve up to six years.”
Earlier this month, as discussions regarding Albanese’s reappointment were taking place, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., urged the U.N. to block this process.
Mast contended in a letter to U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) President Jürg Lauber that Albanese “unapologetically” exploited her position to “attempt to legitimize antisemitic tropes, simultaneously acting as a mouthpiece for Hamas.”
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Throughout her tenure, several nations, including the U.S., have condemned Albanese for her public statements. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has compiled numerous instances of her antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric over the years.
In October 2024, while acting in her capacity as a U.N. appointee, she recommended an article on X that labeled it a “must-read for the ages.” This post, authored by journalist Chris Hedges, claimed that the “Israel lobby has bought and paid for Congress and the two ruling parties,” arguing that donations from Zionists hinder peace effectively.
Moreover, Albanese has drawn unsettling comparisons between Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the Holocaust and, in August 2024, described the Gaza Strip as a “concentration camp of the 21st century.”
Fox News Digital reached out for comments from both Francesca Albanese and the State Department but did not receive a timely response.
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