UN official Albanese sparks outrage with Holocaust-linked remarks, renewed antisemitism accusations

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories, published a Facebook post on Sunday that critics say combines historical revisionism with antisemitic rhetoric.

Referring to Jews, Albanese wrote: “The Western club accepted them because they proved themselves capable of tolerating certain members of the group that were previously ‘undesirable,’ and so they accepted the Jews, but not all of them.” The Italian legal scholar then accused Jews of portraying themselves as morally superior to Europeans.

“They learned that to survive in this world, they must be superior. No longer a fragile minority. No longer a people in exile. No longer the people of the book. But the chosen people. ‘Chosen to rule?’ One might wonder when looking at what Israel has become.”

Albanese also addressed Germany’s relationship with Israel and its historical responsibility for the Holocaust.

“I know Germans can do better,” Albanese stated. “I have seen them. But they are called upon emancipating themselves. This is their chance,” she added.

She further argued that Germany’s strong support for Israel serves as a “convenient mask” for Germany’s return to the international community rather than reflecting genuine remorse over the Holocaust. Albanese also claimed that Germany’s current policy toward Israel reflects a “historical superiority syndrome.”

Albanese has a history of antisemitism and intense hostility towards the Jewish state. In February, she described Israel as a “common enemy” of humanity during an Al Jazeera conference in Qatar. She also claimed that Israel has committed “genocide” in Gaza, arguing that humanity “now has a common enemy … And the respect for fundamental freedoms is the last peaceful avenue, the last peaceful toolbox that we have to gain our freedom.”

Several Western nations strongly condemned Albanese’s comments and France demanded Albanese’s resignation from her UN post.

“By recently describing Israel as an ‘enemy of humanity,’ she has crossed an additional threshold, fitting into rhetoric that constitutes contemporary forms of antisemitism,” French lawmaker Caroline Yadan said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot accused Albanese of being an activist hiding behind a UN title, saying, “She presents herself as a UN independent expert, yet she is neither an expert nor independent – she is a political activist who stirs up hate speech and undermines the cause of the Palestinian people that she claims to defend.”

Albanese has said she believes the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel was not driven by antisemitism but a response to Israeli “occupation” and “oppression.”

In 2024, the World Jewish Congress condemned Albanese after she compared the Jewish state with Nazi Germany on 𝕏.