Saturday, 13 September, 2025
London, UK
Saturday, September 13, 2025 3:41 AM
overcast clouds 12.2°C
Condition: Overcast clouds
Humidity: 87%
Wind Speed: 8.1 km/h

US sanctions Italian UN official who called for criminal action against Israel

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Wednesday targeting a top U.N. Human Rights Council official who has been critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, alleging the human rights expert has spearheaded a “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel.”

Last week, U.N. Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called for the International Criminal Court “to investigate and prosecute corporate executives and/or corporate entities,” with Albanese alleging war crimes perpetrated by Israel amid its war with Hamas.

In the report, titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” Albanese identified 48 corporate actors — from weapons manufacturers to financial companies — accused of profiteering on the basis of their cooperation with the Israeli government.

https://3f933b678905335ea03bb6e825b42079.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-45/html/container.html

In a statement, Rubio called Albanese’s efforts to prompt criminal prosecution from the ICC and other actors “illegitimate and shameful.”

“The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies,” Rubio said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism called on the United Nations to remove her from her post, citing what it called Albanese’s “silence and selective outrage.”

Appointed in 2022, the Italian scholar has called for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel since its full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The Israeli government banned Albanese from the country in February 2024 after she publicly stated that “the victims of the October 7 massacre were not murdered because of their Jewishness, but in response to Israeli oppression.”

The U.N. Human Rights Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

Categories

Follow

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive your complimentary login credentials and unlock full access to all features and stories from Lord’s Press.

    As a journal of record, Lord’s Press remains freely accessible—thanks to the enduring support of our distinguished partners and patrons. Subscribing ensures uninterrupted access to our archives, special reports, and exclusive notices.

    LP is free thanks to our Sponsors

    Privacy Overview

    Privacy & Cookie Notice

    This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our content is accessed and used. Cookies are small text files stored in your browser that allow us to recognise your device upon return, retain your preferences, and gather anonymised usage statistics to improve site performance.

    Under EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process this data based on your consent. You will be prompted to accept or customise your cookie preferences when you first visit our site.

    You may adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the website footer. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our full Privacy Policy