Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' outspoken Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories who is notorious for her anti-Israel bias, denounced the sanctions imposed by Washington and claimed they are a "clear violation" of her diplomatic immunity, AFP reported.
The comments, which she made on Tuesday during a visit to Bogota, came less than a week after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced punitive measures against her, decrying her work as "biased and malicious."
Albanese, an Italian legal scholar and human rights expert, has become a lightning rod for criticism due to her persistent accusations that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza.
The UNHRC recently extended Albanese’s term as special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the “Palestinian territories” for an additional three years, despite her continued anti-Israel statements and actions.
Speaking to an audience in the Colombian capital, where she was attending an international summit convened by President Gustavo Petro to address the Gaza conflict, Albanese stated, "It's a very serious measure. It's unprecedented. And I take it very seriously."
She asserted that the sanctions represent a "clear violation of the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities that protect UN officials, including independent experts, from words and actions taken in the exercise of their functions."
At the same conference, Albanese urged nations to take "concrete actions" against Israel and immediately suspend all state and private sector ties with Israel.
Rubio's July 9 announcement explicitly stated that Washington was sanctioning Albanese "for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (ICC) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."
Albanese, however, framed the sanctions as a broader message: "a warning to anyone who dares to defend international law and human rights, justice and freedom."
Albanese’s anti-Israel bias was first exposed in 2022, in the form of antisemitic posts she made on social media, in which she claimed that the “Jewish lobby” controls the US.
At the time, Albanese rejected arguments that the comments about the “Jewish lobby” were antisemitic and claimed they were “mischaracterized”, but her anti-Israel bias has continued to be exposed since.
Her criticism of Israel has grown since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack in Israel. The attack, in which Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, was described by Albanese as an act that must be viewed in “context” and as a response to Israeli “aggression.”
She has also in recent months accused Israel of genocide, likened the Government of Israel to the “Third Reich,” and compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.