Israeli actress and model Sarai Givaty has filed a defamation lawsuit seeking half a million shekels in damages against Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories. The lawsuit was filed through the organization Shurat HaDin and attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner following a tweet by Albanese. Givaty alleges that the post portrayed her as someone who justifies the killing of children and linked her remarks to arguments used by high-ranking Nazi officials to justify the murder of children during the Holocaust.
According to the statement of claim, the post stems from a video interview Givaty gave in September 2025. In the interview, Givaty discussed the shift in her worldview following the October 7 massacre. She addressed the rise of extremism on both sides-the far-right and radical Islam-and the need to take action against both. She concluded her remarks by saying: "It saddens me when any child in the world cries-it truly saddens me-but I also understand that if we do not act, that child will grow up to be a terrorist."
The lawsuit emphasizes that these comments were made in the context of addressing the indoctrination of children toward hatred and to the point of extremism. Givaty did not call for the killing of children or for harming them, nor did she justify such harm.
According to Givaty, about a year after the interview, a 23-second clip-lacking the full context and accompanied by a partial English translation-began circulating online. On September 19, 2026, Albanese shared the clip on her account, adding an outrageous comparison, "The children will grow up." “This was also the argument presented by senior Nazi officials during the Nuremberg trials to justify the killing of children during the Holocaust."
According to the lawsuit, the post garnered over two million views, tens of thousands of shares, and approximately 93,000 likes. Following this, the content was disseminated across media outlets and social media networks worldwide. Givaty states that she subsequently received dozens of hateful messages and direct threats.
Givaty asserts that the post harmed her dignity and good name, jeopardized her personal safety, and damaged her professional reputation and employment prospects both in Israel and abroad. The statement of claim emphasizes that for an actress and model working in the international market, associating her name with the justification of killing children-and with Nazi-era rationales-could deter producers, agencies, and brands, leading to the loss of professional opportunities.
Sarai Givaty said, "As a mother, I am appalled by this false comparison. One may disagree with my opinions, but one cannot attribute statements to me that I never made, nor portray me to millions of people as someone who justifies the killing of children. I will not remain silent in the face of those who seek to harm the State of Israel and defame it globally."
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said, "We are fighting back against this international campaign of lies. Albanese is waging a vitriolic, antisemitic campaign against Israel and is responsible for spreading yet another libelous fabrication regarding its citizens. For the first time, it is possible to sue this detractor of Israel for her hate speech and hold her accountable for her actions. She cannot be allowed to hide behind her immunity."