US Sanctions Francesca Albanese Again As Israel Intensifies Attacks On Gaza

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]The United States has re-imposed sanctions on UN expert Francesca Albanese, intensifying a growing clash between the Trump [music] administration and international figures critical of Israel's war on Gaza. An update from the US Treasury Department confirmed that Albanese has been placed back on Washington's sanctions list after an appeals court temporarily paused a lower court ruling that had blocked the penalties. [music] Albanese is the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory and has been one of the most outspoken international critics of Israel's actions in Gaza.

[00:00:31]>> I have faced relentless personal threats, insults, and reprisals.

[00:00:39]determination, because in spite of all these, I remain steadfast in my mission to bear witness, to speak the truth, and to reject complicitly complicity in this time of unremitting criminality.

[00:00:53]Today, I present the findings of my eighth report, the fifth documenting the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.

[00:01:01]Its findings highlight a hallmark of this genocide, Israel's widespread and systematic use of torture, alongside the creation of a torturous environment [music] against Palestinians.

[00:01:15]I unequivocally condemn the torture committed by all actors, including also by Palestinian armed groups on and after [music] 7th October, 2023.

[00:01:25]However, this report focuses on the use of torture in the context of the ongoing genocide, thus [music] the actions by Israel as the occupying power, as my mandate demands.

[00:01:38]Between October 2023 and January 2026, Israeli forces arrested more than 18,500 [music] Palestinians, including children, especially if they were doctors, journalists, or humanitarians.

[00:01:53]Nearly 100 of them died in custody.

[00:01:56]4,000 remain forcibly disap- disappeared.

[00:02:01]Thousands detained without charge are held in inhuman conditions, beaten, shackled, sexually abused, denied medical care, starved, raped.

[00:02:14]Israel has effectively been given a license to torture Palestinians because most of your government, your ministers have allowed [music] it.

[00:02:25]It is thanks to the courage of torture survivors and the Palestinians and Israeli NGOs who helped document their inferno if the truth has today reached this room.

[00:02:38]Hence, I have decided to lend my voice to them, to the survivors.

[00:02:45]Quote, On the fourth day in prison, an Israeli soldier threw food on the floor which was only labneh yelling, "Eat off the ground, you Hamas horse.

[00:02:58]Just like animals." End of quote.

[00:03:01]>> The sanctions include restrictions on entering the United States, limits on access to US-based assets, and bans on dealings with American entities.

[00:03:10]The Trump administration accuses Albanese of carrying out what it calls biased and malicious activities against Israel. US officials have also criticized her support for International Criminal Court investigations into Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

[00:03:27]>> Uh >> [music] >> and it's a good question because it highlights that this is not um uh uh an action based on one action or one thing. This is This is a been a a long-term issue. [music] And what I will say to you is today and just more details, the United States is imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca [music] Albanese for her abuse of that role to directly engage in [music] ICC actions against Israeli officials. In recent weeks, she has also targeted US companies >> [music] >> in an unacceptable campaign of political and economic warfare.

[00:04:07]As the president's executive order EO 14203 makes clear, [music] the ICC's actions set a dangerous precedent for lawfare that endangers our national security and foreign policy and infringes on the sovereignty of the United States. The president declared a national emergency under the EO that emphasizes, quote, "The United States will impose [music] tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC's transgressions, which would include blocking of property and visa restrictions. [music] The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary and appropriate to protect our sovereignty, to protect Israel, >> [music] >> and any other US ally, any other US ally, from illegitimate actions by the ICC. [music] That's why that occurred."

[00:04:58]>> Yeah.

[00:04:58]>> Okay.

[00:04:58]>> The ICC issued arrest warrants for both men in November 2024 over alleged war crimes linked to Israel's assault on Gaza.

[00:05:06]Earlier this month, a federal judge temporarily blocked the sanctions after Albanese's family challenged them in court, arguing they violated free speech protections. [music] The judge ruled that Albanese's statements were protected opinions and said she could not be held responsible for decisions made by the ICC.

[00:05:24]But the Trump administration appealed the decision and has now succeeded in temporarily restoring the sanctions while the wider legal case continues.

[00:05:32]Human rights groups and legal experts have condemned the move, accusing Washington of trying to shield Israel from international scrutiny.

[00:05:40]The sanctions also come as criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues to grow globally. More than 75,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities and international observers.

[00:05:55]Critics say the case against Albanese reflects a broader effort to pressure international institutions and silence voices calling for accountability over Gaza.