US issues sanctions against UN official investigating abuses in Gaza
The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it would impose sanctions on an independent UN official investigating human rights abuses in Palestinian territories, marking the latest move by the US to penalize critics of Israel’s 21-month Gaza war.
Why it matters:
The state department’s decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, comes after a recent U.S. pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed.
The big picture:
Albanese, a human rights lawyer, has been vocal in calling for an end to the “genocide” that Israel is waging against Palestinians in Gaza. Both Israel and the U.S., which provide military support for Israel, have strongly denied the call as an accusation.
Yes, but Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its devastating strikes on Gaza. Albanese’s position has also been backed by leading genocide scholars and rights organisations.
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What they’re saying:
In a post on X late on Wednesday, Albanese wrote that she stood “firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done,” without directly mentioning the US sanctions. In a text message to Al Jazeera, she was quoted as dismissing the U.S. move as “mafia-style intimidation techniques.”
“The man below is the founder of Al Qaeda in Syria. The U.S. just took his organization off its terror list and lifted sanctions on him. The woman below is the UN rapporteur on Israel and Palestine. The U.S. is about to impose sanctions on her,” Trita Parsi, a senior expert on West Asian affairs in the United States, tweeted, sharing the image of the two on X.
“Man below is the founder of Al Qaeda in Syria and is involved in the killing of American soldiers. The U.S. just lifted sanctions on him. The woman below is the UN Special Rapporteur who raised her voice against Israeli genocide in the free speech world. The U.S. imposes sanctions on her. How low the U.S. will fall to protect Israeli interests,” Zohran Mamdani, an Independent journalist, posted on his X account.
Go deeper:
In recent weeks, Albanese has issued a series of letters, urging other countries to pressure Israel, including through sanctions, to end its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Italian national has also been a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Israeli officials, including the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for war crimes.
Albanese most recently issued a report naming several U.S. giants among companies aiding Israel’s occupation and war on Gaza.
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