Shalom Francesca: US Sanctions UN’s Francesca Albanese on BDS’s 20th Birthday
The date is not just symbolic—it is poetic.
Today, on the 20th anniversary of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the United States imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur. The date is not just symbolic—it is poetic. A movement born of economic warfare, antisemitic libel, and international pressure campaigns now finds its most prominent international legal mouthpiece sanctioned under U.S. law. The action was taken pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” and marks a sharp escalation in Washington’s policy of countering what it considers illegitimate and politically motivated attacks on its sovereignty and that of Israel.
Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.
The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.
Albanese is being sanctioned under Section 1(a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order 14203 for materially assisting or engaging with the ICC in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel without their governments’ consent. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute.
Her conduct—particularly efforts to encourage ICC action against Israeli leaders and American companies—has been labeled by U.S. officials as a gross infringement of sovereignty and a dangerous precedent of lawfare masquerading as international justice. The designation includes:
A ban on entry into the United States,
Freeze on any U.S.-controlled assets,
Prohibition on American persons engaging in with her.
This is an UNpresedented action, she is the first UN official or expert to be sanctions by the United States. The final straw came last week when Albanese issued an incendiary report naming over 60 companies—including major U.S. corporations in tech, defense, finance, and energy—alleging complicity in “genocide.” These letters, which she sent directly to corporations around the world, were described by the U.S. government as an attempt to conduct “political and economic warfare” under the guise of human rights advocacy. Albanese’s demand that foreign entities cut ties with Israel mirrored the core strategy of BDS—delegitimize, isolate, and punish the Jewish state through institutional coercion while calling for Israel’s economy to be dismantled.
On July, the United States formally requested the United Nations remove Albanese from her position. In a letter, senior U.S. diplomats urged UN Secretary-General António Guterres to terminate her mandate, citing her long record of bias, antisemitism, and abuse of her role. In 2024, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas‑Greenfield publicly labeled her “unfit for her role” at the UN
Albanese has been condemned globally. France denounced her comparisons of Israeli actions to the Holocaust as “scandalous.” Germany labeled her remarks “appalling.” The Netherlands, Argentina, Hungary, and Israel all formally opposed her reappointment in 2025. Watchdog organizations including UN Watch, the World Jewish Congress, and the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists have repeatedly called for her removal, citing her open hostility toward the Jewish state and her disregard for legal neutrality, specially after it was revealed a pro-Hamas group paid for her trip to Australia. Even Antonio Guterres allegedly said “she is a horrible person”
Her public comments about Israel are always beyond inflammatory, even absurd. Among her more revealing moments was when she declared that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre—would not constitute “justice.” In another instance, she claimed that the killing of Hamas terrorists was part of the “core strategy” of Israel’s so-called genocide. According to Albanese, targeting mass murderers is proof of genocidal intent—yes, eliminating terrorist operatives, in her legal framework, is genocide. Statements like these reveal ideological bias.
Beyond her political extremism, Albanese falsely presents herself as a lawyer. While she does hold a law degree, she never passed the Italian bar exam and is not legally certified to practice law in Italy or represent clients. Despite this, she presents herself, including in UN documentation as an “international lawyer” and used the title in public statements and official reports. This misrepresentation may violate Italian legal codes concerning professional fraud, especially if used in official or international declarations. Italy should investigate whether she broke national law by claiming legal credentials she does not possess.
This designation sends a powerful message. The United States will no longer ignore the hijacking of international legal institutions to wage political war against democracies. Just as BDS was launched on July 9, 2005, with the hope of undermining Israel’s legitimacy through economic pressure, so too does this July 9, 2025, represent a turning of the tide—where the United States asserts that lawfare has consequences.
A good excuse for a party to celebrate her departure 👏👏👏🥂🎉👍
Reminds me of the collapse of The League of Nations without The World Wars. Fascism, being Islam, was the culprit then.