Irish Jews, Israel condemn Albanese’s 'unhinged' accusations against Israel

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese faced condemnation from Israeli officials and Irish Jewish leaders this week after making a litany of serious allegations against Israel, including claims of child killings, torture and rape, during an address to an Irish parliamentary committee.

Speaking before the Irish parliament’s Committee on European Affairs, Albanese accused Israel of committing a range of abuses against Palestinians, including allegations of sexual violence involving dogs.

Her remarks drew sharp criticism from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland and other Jewish organizations.

“Israel has always killed children, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, the use of torture, even rape,” Albanese stated. The controversial UN official went on to accuse the Jewish state of using dogs to rape people.

“It’s destroying the people, the living. You know it when you read the testimonies of people who have been tortured, have been raped, raped by dogs trained in European countries,” Albanese claimed, referring to a New York Times column published earlier this year. Israel and Jewish organizations have condemned the allegation as a modern antisemitic “blood libel.”

“European people are profiting from selling dogs that will rape people. This is abysmal, and instead of having a system using our rule of law to prevent this, there are people who are in jail for denouncing the system,” Albanese continued, without providing evidence for the allegations.

She concluded by calling on the Irish government to “show its spine” in opposing Israel.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the remarks, describing Albanese as “an unhinged conspiracy theorist consumed by her obsessive hatred of Israel.”

“Her vile lies and grotesque accusations are a disgrace to the UN,” the foreign ministry in Jerusalem stated.

The criticism also came from the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, which condemned Albanese’s appearance before the parliamentary committee and criticized Irish lawmakers for hosting her.

“She dismissed documented antisemitism against Irish Jews on national radio, then appeared before an Oireachtas committee making a series of outrageous, unsubstantiated allegations,” the local Jewish council stated.

“Not one demand for evidence. Not one challenge to her most shocking claims. Instead, she got praise, admiration and smiling photographs,” it added.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the UN watchdog organization UN Watch, also condemned Albanese, addressing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres directly.

“You allowed this barking mad lunatic and her friends to bring the United Nations into disrepute,” Neuer stated.

Albanese has previously made a number of controversial statements about Israel. She has denied that the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7 was fueled by antisemitism, accused Israel of “genocide” and compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.

In February, Albanese called the Jewish state a “common enemy” of humanity during an Al Jazeera conference in Qatar, a statement that drew condemnation from Israeli officials and Jewish organizations.

Israel, the United States and France have called for her resignation, while Jewish organizations have repeatedly criticized her statements about Israel.

Ireland has also maintained a sharply critical position toward Israel. Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee praised the meeting with Albanese and vowed that Ireland would continue its support for the Palestinians and the UN.

“Ireland will not forget about Palestine and will continue to stand up for the UN,” McEntee said.

In 2024, months after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, Ireland unilaterally recognized “Palestine,” despite Israeli objections that the move rewarded violence and terrorism.

Ireland has also supported boycotts of Israel in Eurovision and called for the suspension of the European Union’s trade agreement with Israel. Earlier this month, Irish soccer players refused to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts during a game.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who ordered the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin, has argued that Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies” fuel hatred against Jews and the Jewish state.