According to the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, she has been the target of a “smear campaign” aimed at removing her due to allegations of anti-Semitism.
Following the criticism, Right-wing NGOs and legislators call for the excusal of Francesca Albanese, yet the UN expert says she will continue getting down on Israel for abusing international regulation.
Since she assumed her position in May 2022, Francesca Albanese has been the target of a concerted campaign launched by Israeli right-wing NGOs, newspapers, and politicians in response to her outspoken criticism of Israel’s “apartheid” policies.
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Middle East Eye reported on Wednesday that she stated, “This is neither the first nor the last time my mandate and persona will come under attack.”
“A politically-sanctioned racial segregation system, as the global legitimate structure recognizes, may turn to the abuse of people and associations restricting it,” she added.
She has much of the time pummeled the denials of basic liberties, politically-sanctioned racial segregation strategies, atrocities, and wrongdoings against mankind executed by Israel in the involved domains.
Beginning in April, numerous articles alleging that Albanese was antisemitic appeared to be part of a concerted campaign by Israeli-sponsored pressure groups to remove her. These came at the same time as a Twitter campaign to get UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to fire her.
In particular, the articles talk about a conference called “16 Years of Siege on Gaza:” which was held in Gaza in November 2022. Effects and Prospects” which was gone to by Hamas and Islamic Jihad authorities as well as Albanese. She reportedly stated at the conference that Palestinians “have the right to resist this occupation,” according to reports.
Albanese has called the anti-Semitism allegations “lies” and part of a “smear campaign.”
She is also determined to continue opposing the occupation by Israel. She stated, “I must remain focused on my work and the millions of people oppressed by or affected by the occupation, as well as the many threatened worldwide for denouncing it.”
The campaigns against Albanese were slammed by the Palestinian foreign ministry on April 13, noting that they are connected to her disclosure of Israeli “criminality.” The service approached UN part states to “give insurance to order holders and common freedoms safeguards from Israeli occupation terrorizing and assaults.”
In the meantime, the Italian lawyer has also received support on social media. In a tweet on April 20, Nimer Sultany of SOAS University of London expressed his support for Albanese, noting that Albanese “is facing a concerted, tendentious campaign from the usual suspects, who had attacked every single previous rapporteur because they dared to report & name the reality of the situation in Palestine & to stand for basic human rights.” Sid Shniad, a founding member of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, stated that those who criticize Israel’s violation of Ms. Albanese is not alone because the same smear has been used against several former rapporteurs, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, he told Middle East Monitor.
A well-known authority on forced migration, Albanese teaches international law at a number of universities. She is the first woman to be appointed to the position of special rapporteur on Palestine. The current targeted and forceful effort to remove a rapporteur from office is unprecedented, despite the fact that her male predecessors were also harshly attacked by Israeli officials and pro-Israel groups.
