UN official called 'terror sympathizing antisemite' by Israeli ambassador as calls grow for her dismissal

JERUSALEM – The walls appear to be closing in on an official for the United Nations over allegations of antisemitism. The official, Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, recently made news after criticizing the Jewish state for its successful June rescue of four hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s outgoing ambassador to the U.N., Gilad Erdan, told Fox News Digital, "Francesca Albanese is the very definition of a terror sympathizing antisemite. Her role at the U.N. is dedicated toward one goal: the destruction of the State of Israel. I’m not surprised that the secretary-general, who is motivated by hatred for Israel, is not doing anything about her justification of terror against Israelis."

"Enough is enough," U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital. "Francesca Albanese must be removed from her position immediately. For far too long, Albanese has abused her U.N. mandate to spread Hamas propaganda. She is the first U.N. special rapporteur in history to be condemned by France, Germany and the U.S. for antisemitism."

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Francesca Albanese, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 11, 2024. (Mohamed Mdalla/Anadolu via Getty Images)

He added, "It’s time for the U.S. and other democracies to take action to fire Francesca Albanese now. This can be done by the adoption by the Human Rights Council of a resolution. Until that happens, they need to condemn her strongly for spreading antisemitism and abusing her mandate by illegally engaging in overtly political and cynical lobbying activities."

Albanese’s June 8 post on X said of the rescue mission, "This is ‘humanitarian camouflage’ at another level. Israel has used hostages to legitimise (sic) killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatising (sic) Palestinians in Gaza. And while intensifying violence against Palestinians in the rest of the occupied territory and Israel. Israel could have freed all hostages, alive and intact, 8 months ago when the first ceasfire (sic) and hostage exchange was put on the table. Yet, Israel refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people. This is genocidal intent turned into action. Crystal clear."

Alex Gandler, deputy spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X about Albanese: "Your unwavering support of Hamas and Palestinian civilian kidnappers of civilians is truly a piece of grotesque art. Wrong side of History Lady."

Israeli families carry the photos of their loved ones who are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as they march to Jerusalem. (Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In November, Fox News Digital reported that Albanese declared that Israel does not have a right to self-defense against Hamas.

When approached by Fox News Digital about Albanese’s remarks on X, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said, "We opposed the mandate of this special rapporteur, which we believe is not productive. And when it comes to the individual who holds that position, we can’t help but note a history of incendiary comments online and in her public statements. We continue to believe that this special rapporteur’s allegations of genocide are unfounded." 

A terrorist from Hamas takes part in a military parade in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2023. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo)

A spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who has been accused of anti-Israel bias and pro-Hamas rhetoric and conduct by Israel’s outgoing ambassador, punted press queries about Albanese to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. Guterres has denied that he is anti-Israel and favors Hamas over Israel.

His spokesman told Fox News Digital, "The secretary-general does not appoint, and cannot relieve from duties, the rapporteurs of our human rights system, who are independent and who report to the Human Rights Council. Please direct your questions to the HRC members."

In April, Fox News Digital revealed that a newsletter of the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights’ NGO Action News provided information on how to protest against Israel in the U.S. on tax day.

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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - APRIL 10: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca P. Albanese and Manuel "Manu" Pineda Marin, a Spanish member of the European Parliament, talk to the media on April 10, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

Veteran watchdog organizations like U.N. Watch and others have long lambasted the organization, where meaningful accountability about its reported rampant antisemitism problem is largely non-existent. The U.S. and the EU designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organization, while the United Nations has not.

Pascal Sim, a spokesman for the HRC, told Fox News Digital, "The views of the United Nations Human Rights Council are expressed in the resolutions it adopts at each of its sessions. The special rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Her mandate is set out clearly under the terms of her appointment, which is to follow the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, investigate human rights violations and report her findings to the Council and publicly."

Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A Human Rights Council spokeswoman told Fox News Digital that she had forwarded inquiries to the special rapporteur, and that "She would like you to get in touch."

Albanese has yet to respond to multiple Fox News Digital press queries sent via United Nations spokespeople and to her Georgetown University email address, where she has a position at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Queries to Georgetown went unanswered.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.