UN official Albanese, UN Watch chief clash over 'Hamas spokesperson' claim

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused Hillel Neuer, executive director of the NGO UN Watch, of “outright defamation” this week after he described her as “Hamas’s de facto spokesperson” at the United Nations.

Albanese responded to Neuer’s comments in a post on 𝕏 to address what she described as a violation of the platform’s rules: “Calling me Hamas Spokesperson is outright defamation, something one might expect from a decent platform that breaks its own rules, but perhaps not from Twitter’s current patron. Am I right, @Twitter?”

Platform owner Elon Musk has not responded as of publication.

Neuer responded by challenging Albanese to take the matter to court.

“Please sue me, Ms. Albanese,” Neuer wrote. “As you are a non-lawyer, let me explain: Truth is an absolute defense. I repeat: You are Hamas’s de facto spokesperson at the UN. I would love to put your record before a court.”

He subsequently posted a series of statements and incidents that he said support his characterization of Albanese, including comments she made concerning the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

UN Watch has also cited statements by senior Hamas officials praising Albanese and encouraging supporters to watch and listen to her speeches at the United Nations.

“Francesca Albanese cannot refute the facts of her record, so she resorts to crying ‘outright defamation’ and trying to get 𝕏 to censor the truth on her behalf,” Neuer argued.

“For years we have documented that Albanese functions as Hamas’s de facto spokesperson at the United Nations,” he added, accusing her of repeatedly “inverting the Holocaust,” invoking antisemitic tropes concerning Jewish power and the “Jewish lobby,” and “justifying” or “contextualizing” the Oct. 7 massacre.

Neuer also cited criticism of Albanese by the governments of the United States, France, Germany and Canada over allegations of antisemitism and Holocaust inversion.

He wrote: “Truth is an absolute defense. If Albanese believes she has been defamed, she should sue me. I invite her to put her full record before a court of law. Discovery would expose many of her private antisemitic emails and WhatsApp messages that are well known among UN insiders. Until then, her demand that Elon Musk, as the owner of the 𝕏 platform, should silence accurate criticism only underscores how far she has fallen from any pretense of impartiality or integrity.”

The exchange is the latest dispute involving Albanese, who has faced repeated criticism from Israel and Jewish organizations over her statements and conduct since becoming the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories.

UN Watch has also accused Albanese of conflicts of interest and questioned her impartiality in the role, including over financial support she has received for activities related to her work.

Albanese has rejected allegations that she is biased against Israel and has defended her record as a UN expert.