The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights Francesca Albanese, marking an escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the sanctions by claiming Albanese engaged in “biased and malicious activities,” “spewed unabashed antisemitism,” and “expressed support for terrorism.” In his official statement, Rubio accused Albanese of writing “threatening letters” to dozens of entities worldwide—including major American companies—recommending International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations and prosecutions. The move comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington DC this week to meet with President Trump.

The US sanctions represent the latest effort by the Trump administration to shield Israel from international accountability mechanisms. Earlier this year, the US imposed sanctions on ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and four judges after the court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes.

Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer appointed in 2022, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s 21-month military campaign in Gaza, which she characterized as genocide. She has called for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel and recently issued a report titled “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide,” naming several large US companies as complicit in what she described as Israel’s occupation.

In a 2023 interview with JURIST, Francesca Albanese defended her work against allegations of bias, stating: “I am firmly dedicated to documenting and reporting on the state of human rights in the oPt [occupied Palestinian territories] with integrity, objectivity, and impartiality. Impartiality is the most fundamental pillar of human rights mechanisms.”

In a statement to JURIST, Western University law professor Michael Lynk, Albanese’s predecessor as UN Special Rapporteur, criticized the sanctions as emblematic of an “upside-down world.” Lynk asserted:

The Trump administration never ceases to surprise. In the same week that it welcomes a head of government who has presided  over a merciless war in Gaza and has had an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court, it has banned  from the United States an international human rights expert working with the United Nations who has meticulously documented  the war crimes, the crimes against humanity and the genocide committed during Israel’s 21 month long military  campaign… Francesca Albanese has been relentless over the past three years in speaking truth to power, embarrassing Global North governments with their complicity and attracting wide attention for her outspoken advocacy and close attachment to evidence and the law. 

The sanctions against Albanese signal continued US diplomatic and legal protection for its closest Middle East ally despite mounting international criticism and Albanese’s documented evidence of corporate complicity in alleged war crimes.