Radical anti-Zionists swear by her and her report, “Anatomy of a Genocide.” The UN acronym she invokes is impressive. But despite her confidence and her 47 years of age, the Italian Francesca Albanese, with her large black glasses, is neither an expert on crimes against humanity nor a judge at the International Court of Justice. A polyglot and French speaker, she did study law, but it is her pro-Palestinian activism that earned her this position as “Special Rapporteur” within the Human Rights Council. A body that, like the Security Council, brings together the most authoritarian countries as well as the most democratic ones. Tyrannies even hold seats there in force, supporting one another.
In this Council, it is not uncommon for Russia, China, and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (which comprises 57 Muslim nations) to stick together and vote as one to place Iran at the head of the Commission on the Status of Women or to appoint a “thematic” rapporteur who suits their interests.
And it was here, thanks to her connections, that Francesca Albanese became the “United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories” on May 1, 2022. Much to the delight of Muslim countries, and to the concern of others. For, prior to this appointment, the Italian had already drawn attention for her Nazi-like comparisons of Israel (such as juxtaposing a photo of an SS soldier with that of an Israeli soldier), or for describing the United States as being “subjugated by the Jewish lobby.” Remarks she eventually came to regret, but which perfectly reflect her thinking.
Close to BDS
Did our very special rapporteur perhaps omit a detail when she applied for the position? That is what a 2022 report by United Nations Watch, an organization specializing in monitoring the UN, points out. Upon closer inspection of her disclosures regarding her “personal or financial relationships,” the Italian found nothing worth mentioning. Nothing to report. Small problem: her husband, Massimiliano Cali, served as an economic advisor to the Palestinian Authority. This places her in a potential “conflict of interest.” Even when he isn’t consulting, the man shares with his wife an equal hatred of Israel. He promotes a dubious campaign by the anti-Semitic musician Roger Waters, a fundraising drive illustrated by the Holocaust-denying cartoonist Carlos Latuff… and rejoices at singer Lana Del Rey’s cancellation of her concert in Israel, under pressure from a movement close to Hamas Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) a group linked to Hamas which Francesca Albanese also supports.
Starting on October 7, the rapporteur made a series of questionable statements, seemingly justifying the horror: “Today’s violence must be viewed in context.” She has been endlessly repeating this relativist line on Al Jazeera, emphasizing the “context of decades of oppression imposed on the Palestinians.” On February 10, she went further, too far. In a scathing tweet, she immediately took aim at the French president, who had just paid tribute to the “victims of October 7” in the courtyard of Les Invalides: “The ‘greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century’? No, Mr. Emmanuel Macron. The victims of October 7 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.” Of course, she regrets that her message might be perceived “as a justification for Hamas’s crimes,” which she says she has “firmly condemned.” But fewer and fewer observers are fooled.
Dipping into the cookie jar
A global network of more than 4,000 lawyers (the International Legal Forum) is calling for his resignation. Israel, which has never been eager to grant him a visa, has declared him persona non grata… A badge of honor for anti-Zionists. Mélenchon retweeted his response to Macron. As for his Palestinian-born muse, Rima Hassan, he touts her wherever he goes. Notably at Sciences Po, where they gave a joint lecture at the invitation of Students for Justice in Palestine (linked to the Muslim Brotherhood). Cited as gospel, particularly by AFP, her name and her report serve to perpetuate the myth of a “genocide in Gaza.” In reality, within the report, the rapporteur is far more cautious than her catchy title suggests, and merely hints at “reasonable grounds” for applying the label of genocide.
“Reasonable”? The word contrasts with her entourage. On May 11, in Tunis, Francesca Albanese shared a panel discussion on Palestinian “resistance” with Rima Hassan, as well as Gilles Devers, the “French lawyer for Hamas” according to Le Monde.
The poster also featured Jamil Mazhar, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He glorified the October 7 massacre as “the greatest epic of our time.” In November 2022, the UN rapporteur openly participated in a conference organized by the “Council for International Relations – Palestine,” a Hamas-affiliated organization. One of its leaders, Ghazi Hamad, who also spoke at the event, is the one who promised more October 7s, “again and again”… Which Israel uses to justify its retaliation.
How can Francesca Albanese remain in her position? Just recently, the rapporteur was caught red-handed by a parody account calling itself the “Chief Rabbi of Gaza” and an “anti-Zionist Jew.” The man behind the account pretended to invite her to speak on the “morality of the Intifada” to anti-Israeli protesters at Columbia. Before realizing the deception, the UN rapporteur asked him to pay the fees—which she cannot accept in her official capacity to a third party “volunteer who supports her mandate and her work.” We tip our hats to her sense of polarization, but also, undoubtedly, of business.
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