A UN human rights spokesperson on Friday stated she was “very anxious” about private assaults on unbiased UN specialists, after a rising variety of European governments referred to as for the resignation of Palestinian territories rapporteur Francesca Albanese over current anti-Israel feedback.
“We’re very anxious. We’re involved that UN officers, unbiased specialists and judicial officers are more and more subjected to private assaults, threats and misinformation that distracts from the intense human rights points,” UN human rights workplace spokesperson Marta Hurtado stated at a Geneva press briefing.
UN rapporteurs are commissioned by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to watch and doc particular human rights crises however are unbiased of the group itself.
There isn’t any precedent for eradicating a particular rapporteur throughout their time period, though diplomats stated that states on the 47-member council may, in concept, suggest a movement to take action. Nevertheless, they stated sturdy help for Palestinian rights inside the physique implies that such a movement was unlikely to go towards Albanese, who was appointed in 2022 and is about to finish her time period in 2028.
Talking through videoconference at a discussion board Saturday in Doha organized by the Al Jazeera community, Albanese, who has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism and extremist rhetoric towards Israel, cited a “widespread enemy” that enabled Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza — a cost Israel has strongly rejected.
Professional-Israel activists accused Albanese of referring to Israel because the “widespread enemy,” which she denied.
My full AJ Discussion board speech final week: the widespread enemy of humanity is THE SYSTEM that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, together with the monetary capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that allow it. pic.twitter.com/PzTQFFybsG
— Francesca Albanese, UN Particular Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) February 9, 2026
Albanese herself posted an unedited clip of her feedback on social media, with the caption: “The widespread enemy of humanity is THE SYSTEM that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, together with the monetary capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that allow it.”
Nonetheless, the Czech Republic’s Overseas Minister Petr Macinka, whose nation is one in every of Israel’s strongest supporters within the European Union, on Friday quoted Albanese on X as having referred to as Israel a “widespread enemy of humanity,” and referred to as for her resignation.
German Overseas Minister Johann Wadephul stated on Thursday that Albanese’s place was “untenable,” whereas French Overseas Minister Jean-Noel Barrot accused her of constructing “outrageous and reprehensible remarks” towards Israel. Austria and Italy, Albanese’s house nation, additionally stated her feedback confirmed she was unsuitable for her publish.
“Persistence has its limits. UN Particular Rapporteur Francesca Albanese ought to resign from her place.
Her newest statements, wherein she described Israel as a ‘widespread enemy of humanity,’ are unacceptable and indefensible. pic.twitter.com/gKguvqq9xC
— Czech Ministry of Overseas Affairs (@CzechMFA) February 13, 2026
Albanese has a protracted historical past of constructing statements accused of being antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas.
On October 11, 2023, 4 days after the assault, Albanese stated she doubted experiences of rape and sexual violence. As an alternative, she stated the US and Israel had been spreading these claims to escalate tensions. She stated Israel had no proper to self-defense instantly after the Hamas invasion of Israel; stated Israelis must be “thought of suspect” and investigated when they’re overseas; stated different international locations ought to halt pharmaceutical exports to Israel; characterised Israel as a “genocidal society”; and positioned the Jewish state as an obstacle to international justice.
She instructed a Harvard College gathering that when Hamas refers to killing Jews (Yahudi), they don’t truly imply Jews.
She has referred to as accusations that UNRWA workers participated within the October 7 bloodbath “fallacious allegations,” although there was clear proof supporting it.
Final November, she posted a cartoon denouncing Israel, depicting what seemed to be a world spiderweb, its strands draped with money and weapons, in a picture that specialists stated echoed age-old antisemitic tropes.
She was sanctioned by the US government final yr for her “unabashed antisemitism” together with other anti-Israel international legal figures.
The European requires Albanese’s resignation got here after US President Donald Trump’s administration in June penned a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres demanding Albanese be eliminated and alleging she engaged in “virulent antisemitism and help for terrorism.”
Responding in a single day to the brand new requires her resignation, Albanese stated on X that European governments “accuse me — primarily based on statements I by no means made — with a virulence and conviction that they’ve NEVER used towards those that have slaughtered 20,000+ youngsters in 858 days” for the reason that Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the conflict in Gaza.
Albanese was citing figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry, which places the loss of life toll in Gaza at greater than 72,000 individuals, together with over 500 for the reason that October 2025 ceasefire. The toll doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Israeli army believes Hamas’s general toll is essentially correct, with IDF officers estimating that two to 3 civilians had been killed for each combatant.
The IDF says it has killed over 23,000 combatants in Gaza and one other 1,600 terrorists inside Israel throughout the October 7 onslaught.
Israel has stated it seeks to attenuate civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas makes use of Gaza’s civilians as human shields, combating from civilian areas, together with properties, hospitals, colleges, and mosques.
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