Top University Severs Ties with Controversial UN Expert Amid U.S. Sanctions: What It Means for Palestinian Advocacy

Georgetown University has severed its association with a United Nations official currently under U.S. sanctions, as revealed by a monitoring organization.

According to U.N. Watch, Francesca Albanese, a U.N. Special Rapporteur, has been taken off Georgetown’s roster of affiliated academics. On December 21, Hillel Neuer, the CEO of U.N. Watch, announced, “Francesca Albanese, an apologist for Hamas within the U.N., is no longer affiliated with Georgetown University.”

Neuer expressed gratitude on X, stating, “Thank you, [Georgetown]. It’s crucial to remove all supporters of terror from our educational institutions.”

Francesca Albanese, U.N. Special Rapporteur, addresses the media at a press briefing in Bogota, Colombia, on July 15, 2025. (Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters)

Neuer shared screenshots displaying Albanese’s profile on Georgetown’s website prior to her removal, followed by an image indicating an error on the page.

In the screenshots shared by Neuer, Georgetown had previously described Albanese as “an international lawyer and researcher, known for her various publications and opinions concerning Palestinian refugees.”

“Georgetown University made the right decision. Academic institutions should not lend credibility to Francesca Albanese, who has been publicly condemned by democratic allies for antisemitism and Holocaust inversion. Universities exist to uphold intellectual honesty and historical truth, not to legitimize distortions of history or rhetoric that excuses violence against civilians. Accountability matters, and this step reinforces that principle,” Heather Johnston, founder of the U.S. Israel Education Association, told Fox News Digital.

Francesca Albanese in Rome, Nov. 29, 2025. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)

In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Albanese, saying she “has directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries.” Rubio noted in the announcement that neither the U.S. nor Israel have signed onto the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC.

“Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West,” the State Department announcement reads.

Several countries have condemned Albanese’s statements in the past, often saying her remarks were antisemitic.

Francesca Albanese speaks at a press conference at the U.N. City in Copenhagen, Denmark, Feb. 5, 2025. (Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via Reuters)

In February 2024, Albanese was condemned by France and Germany after saying French President Emmanuel Macron was wrong to call Hamas’ Oct. 7 events “the largest antisemitic massacre of our century.” In her response, she said, “The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.”

France said Albanese seemed to “justify” the attacks and her remarks were “all the more scandalous given that the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the U.N,” according to the ADL.

Germany also responded to Albanese, saying, “To justify the horrific terror attacks of 7/10 [and] deny their antisemitic nature is appalling. Making such statements in a U.N. capacity is a disgrace and goes against everything the United Nations stand for.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Albanese, U.N. Watch and Georgetown University for comment.