The Secretary of State of USA, Marco Rubiosanctions imposed on Wednesday UN Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albaneseto which he accuses “shameless anti -Semitism” and to carry out a “campaign” against Israel. “The political and economic campaign of Albanese against the US and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always support our partners in their right to legitimate defense, “said the head of American diplomacy in his social network account X. The sanctions against Albanesean especially critical voice against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, are the same as those imposed on February 6 against the UN Court, and summarize in the blockade of goods and assets, as well as the withdrawal of the visa and prohibition of entry into the US.
The Italian Francesca Albanese is the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967 and has harshly accused Israel in recent years of committing war crimes, including a genocide in the Gaza Strip. The sanctions obey an executive order signed in February by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to block assets and withdraw the US visa to any person who collaborates in the investigation of the investigation of the International Criminal Court (CPI) About Israel.
Albanese’s reaction
Albanese has reacted to the measure “without comments on the techniques of mafia style intimidation.” Asked by the Panárabe television network Al Yazeera, she has assured that she remains “occupied by remembering the Member States (from the UN) their obligation to stop and punish the genocide and who benefit from it.”
Amnesty International support
The general secretary of Amnesty International, Agnès Callalard, has reacted to the measure of Washington, showing “dismayed” and has defended that Albanese “works tirelessly to document and inform about the illegal occupation, apartheid and the genocide of Israel, based on international law.” “We remember that the special rapporteurs are independent experts. They are not appointed to please governments or popular, but to fulfill their mandate,” he said through his profile on the social network X. Finally, he said that “governments around the world and all the actors who believe in the order based on norms and international law must do everything possible to mitigate and block the effect of sanctions against Albanese and In general, to protect the work and independence of special rapporteurs. “
Rubio’s accusations
In a statement, Rubio accuses Albanese of “collaborating directly” with the ICC to issue arrest orders against Israeli prime minister, Benjamín Netanyahu, and his former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes in Gaza. The Secretary of State considers that Albanese is “incapacitated” for exercising as a special rapporteur because “has expressed a shameless anti -Semitism, support for terrorism and an open contempt in the US, Israel and the West.” He also pointed out that “this strategy has intensified” having recommended to the CPI to investigate and process companies that would have benefited from the war in Gaza. In a recent report, Albanese denounced that large investment firms such as Blackrock or Vanguard have committed “serious violations of international law” for having profit from a “genocide economy.”
UN position
The United Nations claimed on Thursday to the US that revokes the sanctions imposed, before alerting against the application of “punitive measures” against it and appealing to “a dialogue” about the complaints he has raised about Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip. “I ask for the prompt revocation of the US sanctions against the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights, Francesca Albanese, in response to the work he has done under the mandate on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk. Thus, he stressed that “the UN special rapporteurs, together with other parts of the human rights ecosystem,, by their nature, often delicate issues that are of international interest,” before highlighting that “even before strong disagreements, the United Nations Member States should interact substantially and constructively, instead of resorting to punitive measures.”
“The attacks and threats against the holders of mandates of special procedures, as well as against key institutions such as the International Criminal Court (TPI), must cease. The solution is no less, but more, debate and dialogue about the real human rights concerns they address,” he added, in reference to the sanctions imposed by Washington against four judges of the Court for several cases, including the emissions of arrest orders against the prime Israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, for the alleged war crimes and against humanity in the framework of the offensive in Gaza.
