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Francesca Albanese

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Francesca Albanese
Albanese in 2022
Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 2022[1]
Preceded byMichael Lynk
Personal details
Born
Francesca P. Albanese

1977 (age 46–47)
Ariano Irpino, Italy
Alma materUniversity of Pisa
ProfessionAcademic, lawyer

Francesca P. Albanese (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska albaˈneːse, -eːze]; born 1977) is an Italian international lawyer and academic.[2] On 1 May 2022, she was appointed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term.[3] She is the first woman to hold the position.

Albanese was born in Ariano Irpino, Italy in 1977. She holds a law degree with honours from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London, and is completing her PhD in International Refugee Law at the Law Faculty of Amsterdam University.[2] She is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD),[2] and Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam.

As part of her current position as a UN special rapporteur, Albanese has been critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and recommended in her first report that UN member states develop a plan to end the occupation and apartheid. After the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of ethnic cleansing. On 26 March 2024, Albanese reported to the UN Human Rights Council that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.

There has been international attention and controversy surrounding Albanese's appointment and tenure as Special Rapporteur. Critics of Albanese have accused her of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Some human rights groups and scholars have said the accusations are illegitimate attempts to discredit her.

Career

Albanese holds a law degree with honours from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London, and she is completing her PhD in International Refugee Law at the Law Faculty of Amsterdam University.[2] She is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD),[2] and Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam.[4] Widely published,[5] she co-founded at ARDD the Global Network on the Question of Palestine.[2] In 2020, she and Lex Takkenberg wrote the Oxford University Press-published Palestinian Refugees in International Law.[6]

Albanese worked for a decade as a human rights expert for the United Nations (UN), including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees.[7] During this period, she advised the UN, governments, and civil society in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions on human rights and their application and norms, particularly for vulnerable groups like refugees and migrants.

She holds lectures on international law and forced displacement in both European and Arab universities, as well as conferences and public events about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[2] In April 2023, Albanese received the International Stefano Chiarini Award (Italian: Premio Internazionale Stefano Chiarini) in recognition of journalistic work covering Palestine and the Middle East.[8][9]

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories

Albanese was the second Italian (after Giorgio Giacomelli) and the first woman to be appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.[10] Her appointment generated some controversy due to comments she made criticising the US and Europe during the 2014 Gaza War. Albanese described the United States as "subjugated by the Jewish lobby" and Europe by a "sense of guilt about the Holocaust", arguing that both "condemn the oppressed" in the conflict. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Susan Heller Pinto of the Anti-Defamation League,[11] and Michele Taylor, the American ambassador to the Human Rights Council, suggested the comments were antisemitic in nature.[12] She said that she has never been antisemitic and that her criticism of Israel is related to its occupation of Palestinian territories.[13][14][15]

On 18 October 2022, Albanese recommended in her first report that UN member states develop "a plan to end the Israeli settler-colonial occupation and apartheid regime".[16] The report concluded: "The violations described in the present report expose the nature of the Israeli occupation, that of an intentionally acquisitive, segregationist and repressive regime designed to prevent the realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination."[17]

In July 2023, during the 30th Meeting of the 53rd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese presented a report accusing Israel of turning the West Bank into an open-air prison. The report said that since 1967, more than 800,000 Palestinians, including children as young as 12, had been arrested and detained by Israeli authorities. Briefing journalists, Albanese said "There is no other way to define the regime that Israel has imposed on the Palestinians – which is apartheid by default – other than an open-air prison." Israel was not present for the presentation but rejected the findings.[18][19][20]

2023–24 Israel–Hamas war

During the Israel–Hamas war, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that "Palestinians are in grave danger of a mass ethnic cleansing."[21] She further stated that the international community must "prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes", and that "accountability for international crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and Hamas must also be immediately pursued."[21]

In February 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron described the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel as "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century". Albanese responded on Twitter that "the victims of the October 7 massacre were killed not because of their Judaism, but in response to Israeli oppression". The French Foreign Ministry condemned her remarks and the Israeli government declared Albanese persona non grata in Israel and denied her future entry to the country. In response to the reactions, Albanese said "I regret that some interpreted my tweet as 'justifying' Hamas's crimes, which I have condemned strongly several times. I reject all forms of racism, including antisemitism. However, labeling these crimes as 'antisemitic' obscures the real reason they occurred".[22][23][24]

On March 26, 2024 Albanese, presented before the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva her report "Anatomy of a Genocide",[25] stating "reasonable grounds" to believe that Israel is intentionally committing at least three "genocidal acts"[25]: paragraph 5  against the Palestinians as a group in Gaza proscribed in the Genocide Convention:

  • "Killing Members of the Group";[25]: paragraphs 22-26 
  • "Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group";[25]: paragraphs 27-31 
  • "Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part".[25]: paragraphs 34-45 

She called for sanctions and an arms embargo.[26] She was one of the many UN experts who spoke out against the sale of arms to Israel in June 2024 to be used in the conflict in Gaza. The experts cautioned arms suppliers and finance companies that they would be implicated in human rights violations. The signatories to the warning included special reporteurs Paula Gaviria Betancur, Tlaleng Mofokeng and Margaret Satterthwaite.[27]

Further Albanese points to the settler colonial context of genocidal practices resulting in "destruction and replacement of Indigenous peoples"[25]: paragraph 9  and recommends the "reconstitution of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid" to address the situation in Palestine.[25]: paragraph 97e 

During a briefing on the international legal responsibilities for preventing genocide, Albanese said that, given the way Israel is currently behaving, it is time to consider suspending their credential as a Member State, under Article 6 of the Charter of the United Nations".[28]

Accusations of anti-Israel bias

In December 2022, sixty-five scholars of antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Jewish studies stated: "It is evident that the campaign against [Albanese] is not about combating today's antisemitism. It is essentially about efforts to silence her and to undermine her mandate as a senior UN official reporting about Israel's violations of human rights and international law."[15]

In January 2023, a statement was issued in defence of Albanese by a number of human rights organizations, academic institutions, and other civil society organizations. The statement concluded by stating: "We commend UNSR Francesca Albanese’s tireless efforts toward the protection of human rights in the OPT[a] and in raising awareness of the alarming daily violations of Palestinian rights. We call on third States to strongly condemn this politically-motivated attack on the Special Rapporteur's mandate and to compel Israel to comply with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations."[29][30]

In February 2023, 18 members of the United States Congress called for Albanese to be removed from her position saying that she has demonstrated a consistent bias against Israel.[31]

Amid continuing efforts to have Albanese removed from her post, on 26 April 2023, Amnesty International Italy published a letter of support signed by dozens of Italian rights groups, MPs, jurists and academics. On 27 April, three former holders of the position publicly urged the UN to defend Albanese and said that she has been "the target of attacks that have been 'slanderous' and 'personal'". On 3 May, Albanese tweeted that she "saw too many deaths [of Palestinians], too much arbitrariness, zero accountability" and faced accusations for her work in addressing these abuses.[32]

In July 2024, UN Watch director Hillel Neuer requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to investigate Albanese's trip to Australia and whether flights during that trip were funded by pro-Palestinian groups: Australian Friends of Palestine Association, Australian Friends of Palestine Association, Free Palestine Melbourne, and Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network.[33][34][35]

Responding to two reports presented to the United nations in October 2024, the World Jewish Congress accused Albanese of repeatedly engaging in Holocaust inversion by drawing comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany, calling her statements "not only deeply offensive, but a gross distortion of history."[36] U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield posted on X the U.S. belief that Albanese is "unfit for her role. The United Nations should not tolerate antisemitism from a UN-affiliated official hired to promote human rights".[37]

Personal life

Albanese was born in Ariano Irpino, Campania.[38] She is married to Massimiliano Calì, a World Bank official since 2012 who briefly worked at the United Nations Development Programme in 2011.[39] The couple has two children.[2]

References

  1. ^ Occupied Palestinian Territories
  1. ^ "OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967". OHCHR.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Lunchtime Seminar: 'Resetting the Mind: Settler Colonialism, Apartheid and the Right to Self-determination in Palestine'". University of Galway. 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ Richard Falk; John Dugard; Michael Lynk (15 January 2023). Protecting Human Rights in Occupied Palestine: Working Through the United Nations. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-949762-55-6.
  4. ^ Giovannangeli, Umberto De (15 March 2023). ""Israele viola il diritto internazionale", intervista a Francesca Albanese". Il Riformista (in Italian). Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Francesca P . Albanese | Georgetown University – Academia.edu". georgetown.academia.edu. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. ^ Fritzsche-El-Shewy, Jasmin (26 December 2022). "Palestinian Refugees in International Law". International Journal of Refugee Law. 34: 157–159. doi:10.1093/ijrl/eeac020.
  7. ^ https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2021-12/ALBANESE_Francesca_form.pdf
  8. ^ OnuItalia (14 April 2023). "Territori palestinesi: a Francesca Albanese (relatrice speciale ONU) il Premio Stefano Chiarini". Onu Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Premio Chiarini a Francesca Albanese, Relatrice Onu sui diritti umani nei Territori Palestinesi". il manifesto. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. ^ Selini, Anna Maria (9 June 2022). "Francesca Albanese: il mio impegno per i diritti in Palestina". Altreconomia (in Italian). Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  11. ^ "UN Palestinian rights official's social media history reveals antisemitic comments". The Times of Israel. 14 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Onu, la Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accusata di antisemitismo". la Repubblica (in Italian). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Francesca Albanese: "Mai stata antisemita. Le mie critiche riguardano solo l'occupazione israeliana"". la Repubblica (in Italian). 20 December 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  14. ^ Times of Israel
  15. ^ a b "Scholars of anti-Semitism defend UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine against pro-Israel onslaught". 22 December 2022.
  16. ^ Francesca Albanese. Situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967* (PDF) (Report). UN.
  17. ^ Staff, The New Arab (19 October 2022). "UN report urges plan to 'end Israeli colonialism, apartheid'". The New Arab.
  18. ^ "Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories 'open-air prison', UN expert says". 11 July 2023 – via www.reuters.com.
  19. ^ "UN told Israel turns Palestinian territory into outdoor prison". www.aljazeera.com.
  20. ^ "Summary of the UN Special Rapporteur's Report on the Widespread and Systematic Deprivation of Liberty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". 14 July 2023.
  21. ^ a b Albanese, Francesca (14 October 2023). "UN expert warns of new instance of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Hamas October 7 massacre a 'reaction to Israeli oppression' - UN official". Jerusalem Post. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  23. ^ "UN envoy says Israel to blame for October 7 massacre". Ynet News. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  24. ^ Lis, Jonathan (12 February 2024). "Israel Declares UN Envoy to Gaza and West Bank Persona Non Grata After Oct. 7 Comments". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g "Anatomy of a Genocide. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967" (PDF). 25 March 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  26. ^ Farge, Emma (26 March 2024). "UN expert says Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, calls for arms embargo". Reuters.
  27. ^ "States and companies must end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk responsibility for human rights violations: UN experts". 20 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  28. ^ "'It Is Important to Call a Genocide a Genocide,' Consider Suspending Israel's Credential as UN Member State, Experts Tell Palestinian Rights Committee". 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  29. ^ "More than 100 rights groups condemn Israel's smear campaign against UN Special Rapporteur Albanese". WAFA.
  30. ^ Children, Defence for (30 January 2023). "Joint Statement: Condemning Israel's Targeted Smear Campaign Against Respected UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese". Defence for Children. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  31. ^ "US Congress members call on UN leadership to remove antisemitic official". The Times of Israel. 27 February 2023.
  32. ^ "The campaign against the UN's human rights official on Palestine".
  33. ^ Neuer, Hillel (3 June 2024). "Violations of Code of Conduct Complaint & Access to Information Request" (PDF). unwatch.org (PDF).
  34. ^ Algemeiner, The (2 July 2024). "UN Launches Probe Into Anti-Israel Rapporteur for Allegedly Accepting Trip Funded by Pro-Hamas Organizations - Algemeiner.com". www.algemeiner.com. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  35. ^ "UN's Albanese under scrutiny for alleged payments for speaking events". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  36. ^ "WJC slams UN's Albanese for Holocaust inversion, Israel-Nazi comparisons". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  37. ^ Blaff, Ari David (30 October 2024). "Calls mount for Canada to bar UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese over antisemitic remarks". National Post. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  38. ^ Albanese, Francesca [@FranceskAlbs] (2 January 2024). "Domani farò la mia prima presentazione di #JAccuse in presenza ad #ArianoIrpino,mia città natale" [Tomorrow I will present #JAccuse for the first time in person in #ArianoIrpino, my native city] (Tweet) (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Albanese, Francesca [@FranceskAlbs] (9 November 2023). "3/4 A proposito, mio marito, economista fenomenale, dal 2012 è funzionario della Banca Mondiale,con cui ha pubblicato un rapporto sui gravi costi economici imposti dall'occupazione israeliana ai Palestinesi in West Bank" (Tweet) (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2023 – via Twitter.
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