Francesca Albanese Again Under Fire : Tom McDermott

On February 13, many UN staff received an emailed statement from the group "United for Gaza" (previously called "UN Staff for Gaza") calling for support for Francesca Albanese, who is facing calls for resignation following her remarks at a meeting in Doha on February 7.

"Colleagues,

In recent days, deceptively edited video and fabricated imagery has circulated about Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Regrettably, this disinformation was uncritically accepted as fact by numerous Government officials and parliamentarians in a whole host of countries, not least the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Czechia. This led the Ministers to emit vitriolic accusations against Special Rapporteur Albanese and to call for her resignation or removal. In France—the Member State that helped shepherd the New York Declaration—a gaggle of 53 parliamentarians from the President's party even called for the imposition of sanctions on the Special Rapporteur.

This matters to all of us who believe in the integrity of international civil service.

This is not an isolated incident, it's part of a broader effort to undermine the United Nations and its ability to advocate for the human rights of the Palestinian people. Special Rapporteur Albanese, as well as 11 judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court, have had sanctions placed on them by the United States of America. UNRWA, as we know too well, has been under relentless assault for well over two years. This cannot stand.

That is why at United Staff for Gaza we felt compelled to speak up. Earlier today, we issued a statement denouncing the unwarranted vitriol against Special Rapporteur Albanese and calling for an end to personal attacks, threats, intimidation, and disinformation targeting UN agencies, mandate-holders, and personnel. Please take a moment to read it and help us disseminate it widely.

We are living through a moment of extraordinary peril for the United Nations and the values that underpin it. Let's do what we can to help defend the Charter, the Organization, and all our colleagues who put themselves on the line in service of humanity."

What happened?

At an Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on February 7, 2026, Albanese delivered remarks that sparked the diplomatic firestorm. 

The controversy centers on whether Albanese labeled Israel itself as humanity's enemy, or whether she was critiquing the broader system enabling the Gaza war. 

The dispute stems from an edited video circulated by pro-Israel group UN Watch. Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano documented how a 22-second clip omitted crucial context from the original four-minute speech. A Reuters review of the full transcript found it "did not characterize Israel in this way."

Yet it was the edited and truncated remarks that seem to have landed with various political leaderrs.   France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot led the charge, calling Albanese "a political activist who stirs up hate speech." Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic quickly joined in demanding her removal. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul declared her "untenable in her position," while Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka accused her of calling Israel a "common enemy of humanity."

Even UN Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric publicly distanced the organization from Albanese's views: "We don't agree with much of what she says. We wouldn't use the language that she's using in describing the situation." He emphasized that special rapporteurs are appointed by member states and operate independently of the Secretary-General: "If member states are not happy with what one or more of the special rapporteurs are saying, it is their responsibility to get involved in the work of the Human Rights Council."

Albanese categorically denies the accusation. "I have never, ever, ever said 'Israel is the common enemy of humanity,'" she told France 24. She insists she was referring to "the system that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, including the financial capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that enable it."

Looking back at her recent reports it is clear that Albanese' remarks align precisely. In October 2025, her report "Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime" argued the conflict is "sustained by the complicity of influential Third States" through "four sectors of support: diplomatic, military, economic and 'humanitarian.'" Days before the Al Jazeera Forum, she presented this same report to the Italian Parliament on February 3, 2026.

There has been blowback in France against the Foreign Minister.  Th French lawyers' group JURDI filed a criminal complaint against Foreign Minister Barrot for "dissemination of false information," arguing Albanese's remarks constitute "a legal and structural analysis of serious violations of international law" targeting "political, economic and legal systems," not any people or nation.

France will demand Albanese's resignation at the UN Human Rights Council session on February 23, with further member state discussions scheduled for March 23. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said France "reserves the right between now and then to refer the matter to the Special Procedures Committee." 

However, Albanese's mandate runs until 2028 and there's no precedent for removing a special rapporteur mid-term.

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