In an interview with FRANCE 24, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese dismissed recent accusations of anti-Semitism against her as “shameful and defamatory.” She also warned that “the plan to fully destroy Gaza continues” and denounced Israeli measures in the West Bank, where “soldiers and settlers are spreading terror”.
On February 8, the Israeli government took several steps to strengthen its control over the West Bank, facilitating land purchases and allowing Israel to seize control of areas under Palestinian Authority control, including religious sites. Albanese called the move “absolutely worrisome” and “illegal,” adding: “It shows that there is no limit, no restraint to the conquest ambitions of this government.”
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In Gaza, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10, 2025, but has been regularly violated by Israel. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed since. This “monstrous situation” is “definitely not over” and “the evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts that constitute genocide continue to pile up,” Albanese said. Meanwhile, Hamas has not disarmed.
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Addressing claims that she called Israel “the enemy of humanity” at a recent Al Jazeera forum, she pushed back, saying: “I challenge everyone to find what I’m accused of saying; that Israel is the enemy of humanity. I’ve never said that.”
The UN expert also detailed the impact of US sanctions that were imposed on her last year after her report on American companies’ complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“I cannot have a bank account (…) I’m relying on my family as I used to do before being an adult,” she explained.
Albanese concluded: “Isn’t this absurd to simply have exercised freedom of expression, freedom of speech in a context of evident and fully documented crimes that I have the responsibility, the obligation to report on?”
