Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, referred to Israel as humanity’s “common enemy” during a video address to the 17th Al Jazeera Forum (Feb. 7-9) in Qatar.
Speaking at a session titled, “The Palestinian Cause in a World Moving Toward Multipolarity,” Albanese accused Israel of “the planning and making of a genocide, and the genocide is not over.”
Germany also called for Albanese’s removal. “She is untenable in her position”, Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul said.
By Noémie Levy
France has officially asked Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, to step down. This decision came after French authorities called the statements unacceptable. The French government said that criticizing the Israeli government is fair and part of how democracy works. However, comments that single out Israel as a country or its people just can’t be accepted, especially when they’re coming from a UN official who’s supposed to stay neutral.
France will demand Albanese’s resignation during the United Nations Human Rights Council session on February 23.
The controversy started because of comments Albanese made during a virtual conference that Al Jazeera organized in Doha. In her speech, she talked about what she called a “common enemy. “She also blamed the international community for supporting what she called a “genocide” in Gaza by providing military, political, and financial support to Israel.
However, her remarks didn’t sit well with French officials, who quickly spoke out against them. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke in Parliament, saying that while Israel can be criticized, Albanese’s comments were both outrageous and culpable. He also mentioned that these comments fit into a bigger pattern of controversial views, like earlier statements about the “Jewish lobby” and drawing comparisons between Israel and the Third Reich. Barrot said that statements like these hurt the credibility of the United Nations and the work of a Special Rapporteur, whose job calls for independence and staying neutral.
Members of Parliament have also backed the French position. Over twenty deputies have officially asked for Albanese to be taken off her UN mandate, pushing for her to be dismissed right away. They say her statements go against the standards expected from someone speaking on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council.
Israel’s ambassador to France Joshua Zarka welcomed the French move and expressed the hoper that it would be followed by other European countries. ”I congratulate the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for this decision and the stance taken by France,” he told RFI channel.
”Francesca Albanese, whose anti-Semitic remarks and conspiracy theories have been denounced, should never have been in this position at the UN,” he added. ”She has accused Israel of the most terrible things. She even accused the Israeli Mossad of being behind the attacks on Charlie Hebdo.”
The ambassador stressed that France’s decision is a step that would improve relations between Paris and Jerusalem which were tense since President Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state last year.
After the backlash, Albanese defended herself on social media, arguing that her criticism was aiming at “the system that enabled the genocide in Palestine”, rather than at Jewish people or Israelis. French authorities say her remarks just make tensions worse.
France, being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is expected to officially raise the issue in the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council, where it will repeat its call for Albanese’s resignation.
Speaking to European Jewish Press, Shannon Seban,a city councillor near Paris and European representative of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, welcomed France’s request, arguing that the UN official’s statements were part of a repeated pattern.
“It is not the first time Francesca Albanese has made outrageous statements. At some point, impunity must come to an end,” Seban said.
Asked whether Albanese’s remarks go beyond criticism of Israeli policy, Seban argued that the rhetoric directly targets Israel itself.
“She is clearly targeting Israel as a nation, and in doing so, she is putting a target on the backs of Israelis,” she said.
Seban also raised concerns about the broader consequences for the United Nations.
“You cannot hold such a position at the United Nations and make these kinds of remarks. The voice of the UN carries weight,” she added.
The United Nations has not yet told how it will respond to the requests from France and Germany. However, the controversy has already sparked wider discussions across Europe regarding the role of UN experts.
Other countries, including Germany, have also called for Albanese’s removal. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Albanese had made a lot of inappropriate comments before. He also criticized her recent comments about Israel. “She is untenable in her position”, Wadephul told Jüdische Online.
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger claimed that Albanese branded Israel an “enemy of humanity,” chastising her for using language that “undermines the impartiality and highest standards that the role of a UN representative requires.”
https://youtu.be/HSSJ8dF_ook?si=xSm2q8MOVKvVprGe