The U.N. Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, at a conference in Rome, Oct. 6, 2025. (Credit: Remo Casilli/Reuters)
The United Nations said Friday it was "very concerned" about attacks targeting some of its experts, after European officials called for the resignation of the U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, according to a spokesperson for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Speaking by videoconference at a forum in Doha organized by the Qatari network Al Jazeera, the Italian lawyer referred to a "common enemy" that she said had enabled a "genocide" in Gaza.
"The fact that, instead of stopping Israel, most countries in the world have armed it, given it political excuses, a political umbrella as well as economic and financial support, is a challenge," she stated.
"We, who do not control vast financial capital, nor algorithms, nor weapons, now see that as humanity, we have a common enemy," she added.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X that "Francesca Albanese's positions in her role as U.N. special rapporteur do not reflect those of the Italian government," adding that "her conduct, statements, and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds within an institution of peace and guarantees such as the United Nations."
For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told lawmakers that "France condemns without reservation the outrageous and culpable remarks by Albanese, which target not the Israeli government — whose policy may be criticized — but Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable."
According to the French minister, Albanese's remarks "add to a long list of scandalous positions, justifying the Oct. 7 massacre, the worst antisemitic massacre in our history since the Holocaust, referencing the Jewish lobby or even comparing Israel to the Third Reich."
In June, Albanese drafted a report for the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling out around 60 foreign companies from various sectors, including mostly American arms manufacturers and tech giants Google, Amazon and Microsoft, for their role in "the military campaign that destroyed Gaza and displaced the largest number of Palestinians in the West Bank since [the start of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in] 1967."
