The Biden-era kid gloves are off.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that the United States is enacting sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a controversial figure in her role as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Palestinian rights.
“The political and economic warfare campaign led by Albanese against the United States and Israel is no longer acceptable,” Rubio posted on X. “Our commitment to supporting our allies in their right to self-defense remains unwavering.”
Albanese has advocated for bringing U.S. and Israeli officials before the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has sparked strong reactions from lawmakers, diplomats, and human rights activists.
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, speaks during a press conference at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 11, 2024. (REUTERS/Pierre Albouy)
“Add Navi Pillay and her diabolical UN Commission of Inquiry. There is an answer for those who would incorrectly argue that the U.S. is impotent in the face of the U.S-UN host agreement: kick the UN out of the U.S. along with Albanese and her UN partners in crime,” the statement concluded.
Israeli leaders quickly backed Rubio’s move. “A clear message. Time for the UN to pay attention!” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted in response.
The UN Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, speaks during the gala of the Publico 2025 Awards, at CaixaForum Madrid, on 25 June, 2025. (Matias Chiofalo/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon also weighed in to the Jerusalem Post: “Albanese consistently undermines the credibility of the UN by promoting false and dangerous narratives… We will not remain silent.”
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, weighed in with a statement to Fox News Digital, writing: “This is a bold and courageous move by Secretary Rubio. No UN official — in this case, a purported official, as her reappointment was illegal — has ever been sanctioned before in history. Then again, no UN official has ever been condemned for Holocaust distortion and antisemitism by France, Germany, Canada, and both Democratic and Republican US administrations.”
“She will never again spread her poison on American campuses or enter the country. Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.”
