Despite the United States’ efforts to prevent it, including launching a full-scale smear campaign, Francesca Albanese has had her mandate as the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine renewed. Albanese, the Italian legal expert who boldly published a report titled Genocide as Colonial Erasure, which argues that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide, will continue in her role. This legal stance, clearly unacceptable to Tel Aviv and its primary international ally, the U.S. government, prompted them to formally request that her mandate not be renewed. The U.S. accused her of "virulent antisemitism," claiming she demonizes Israel and supports Hamas.
Contrary to what many media outlets reported, the renewal of Albanese’s mandate did not require a vote by the UN. Instead, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) was tasked with evaluating whether the U.S. accusations had any merit. After careful review, the Council found no violations of the code of conduct in Albanese’s work, leading to the automatic renewal of her three-year mandate, as specified by the regulations.
The aggressive U.S. campaign against Albanese focused on select statements that were deemed anti-Jewish, such as her condemnation of Israel for genocide, her "malicious fixation" on demanding accountability from Israel for its actions in Palestine, and her belief that international law guarantees the Palestinian people’s right to resist, including armed resistance. This view is supported by UN Resolution 37/43 from 1982. Even if these claims had some validity, none would constitute antisemitism, which is defined as hatred against Jews, not legitimate, well-documented criticism of Israeli government actions or support for the anti-colonial resistance of a people living under foreign occupation for nearly 80 years, like the Palestinians.
Despite the U.S.’s attempt to manipulate public opinion, the campaign to discredit Albanese’s work did not succeed with the UN Human Rights Council, which reaffirmed that her actions aligned with the ethical standards of her mandate. The Palestinian people will continue to have Francesca Albanese as a strong ally in defending human rights and condemning Israel’s clear violations of international law under Netanyahu’s government. This outcome is a defeat for the U.S. and many Western media outlets that have run smear campaigns to undermine her work. Recently, articles in Italy from La Stampa and Riformista disgracefully referred to her as a “pro-Palestinian activist,” ignoring her position as a renowned legal scholar and UN Rapporteur.