108 Human Rights and Civil Society Organisations Condemn Israel’s Targeted Smear Campaign Against Respected UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese

Posted in Criminalisation of Palestinian rights advocacy |

On 14 December 2022, Israel’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva smeared the respected and eminent UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory Occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, in a direct attempt to attack and undermine the mandate she has been entrusted with and thwart her expert human rights work on Palestine. The statement which contains baseless accusations of antisemitism, raises concerns about the “impunity that exists today regarding antisemitism and antisemitic comments made by UN officials”. More specifically, it refers to a historic Facebook post made by UNSR Francesca Albanese almost a decade ago, in 2014, which at the time reflected on the reasons for international inaction on the question of Palestine. Therein, UNSR Albanese opines, “America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish Lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust remain on the sidelines […]”. Notably, 2014 was the darkest year in the occupation to date, characterised by devasting human loss, as Israel’s 50-day military offensive on the Gaza Strip, resulted in the killing of 2,215 Palestinians, including 1,639 civilians. The remarks served to castigate the international inaction.

Our organisations and groups warn, that this smear campaign against UNSR Albanese constitutes the latest manifestation in a pattern of Israeli attacks aimed at silencing any legitimate criticism of the inhuman manner in which it treats Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Previously, Israel objected to the appointment of Francesca Albanese as UN Rapporteur, arguing that she “harbors significant bias against the Jewish State”, a reference directed to her widely acclaimed joint academic treatise on “Palestinian Refugees in International Law”, published by the prestigious, Oxford University Press. Such attempts to undermine the expertise of the UN Special Rapporteur to discredit the mandate are of particular concern given the importance of its functions: protecting at-risk communities, promoting transparency and calling for accountability of the perpetrators of rights abuses.

Notably, Israel has a demonstrated record of circumventing UN work in Palestine, including systematic non-cooperation with UN Special Procedures, in violation of its obligations under the UN Charter. Former UN Special Rapporteur, Michael Lynk was continuously denied entry into Palestine, measures which clearly intended to impede his work monitoring the human rights situation on the ground in the OPT. Similarly, former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk was denied entry into the OPT by Israel because of his “methodic criticism of Israel”. While UN Special Rapporteur Wibisono even resigned his position as his “efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way [by Israel]”.

Israel’s attempts to frustrate the monitoring and documentation of human rights abuses are not limited to this mandate and entry was also denied to UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women its Causes and Consequences, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, to prevent her from witnessing first-hand issues related to violence against women in Palestine. Denials of entry were similarly imposed on UN Fact-Finding Missions established to investigate the human rights situation in the OPT. Meanwhile, in 2020, Israel refused to grant visas to UN staff from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, expelling 15 international staff from the OPT after 26 years of operating there, a situation which continues to this day. In a statement, then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet warned that, “Israel’s treatment of our staff is part of a wider and worrying trend to block human rights access to the occupied Palestinian territory… This raises the question of what exactly the Israeli authorities are trying to hide”.

There is an obvious link between this pattern of attacks on UN experts and staff and Israel’s intent to maintain its prolonged belligerent occupation, de facto and de jure annexations of Palestinian territory, the unlawful transfer in of settlers and institutionalised discriminatory laws, policies and practices to maintain the regime. This pattern of attacks against UN experts takes place within a shrinking space, which threatens the fundamental right of freedom of expression of those willing to expose Israel’s unacceptable human rights abuses in the OPT. It is time to cease Israel’s onerous and targeted restrictions on this freedom of expression, which in this case stymie reflection on the political enablers of Israel’s continued impunity for severe violations of international law, some of which are peremptory.

We commend UNSR Francesca Albanese’s tireless efforts toward the protection of human rights in the OPT and in raising awareness of the alarming daily violations of Palestinian rights. We call on third States to strongly condemn this politically-motivated attack on the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and to compel Israel to comply with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations.

* The list of endorsing organisations included herein is as of 16 January 2023. Please note that this statement is now closed for endorsement.

List of endorsing organizations, groups and initiatives: 

  1. Academics for Palestine (Ireland)
  2. Academy for Equality
  3. Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
  4. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
  5. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
  6. Aldameer Association for Human Rights
  7. Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
  8. Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic- Al-Quds University
  9. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
  10. Arab Agronomists Association
  11. Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
  12. Arab cause Solidarity Committee (CSCA)
  13. Arab Lawyers Association (UK)
  14. Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR)
  15. Asociación Americana de Juristas
  16. Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
  17. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
  18. Association Switzerland Palestine
  19. AssoPacePalestina
  20. Australia Palestine Advocacy Network
  21. Australian Centre for International Justice
  22. BA4P/BACBI
  23. BACBI Belgian Committee for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
  24. BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
  25. BDS Tokyo
  26. BDS Vancouver/Coast Salish Territories
  27. Bisan Center for Research and Development
  28. British Committee for the Universities of Palestine
  29. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
  30. Center for Defense of Liberties & Civil Rights “HURRYYAT”
  31. Centre for Global Education
  32. CJPME Saskatoon
  33. Comhlamh Justice for Palestine
  34. Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign
  35. Cultura è Libertà. Una campagna per la Palestina
  36. Dalhousie University
  37. Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP)
  38. Defence for Children International
  39. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
  40. Dibeen For Environmental Development
  41. Dutch Scholars for Palestine
  42. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
  43. EuroMed Rights
  44. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
  45. Finnish-Arab Friendship Society
  46. Freedom Archives
  47. Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
  48. Front Line Defenders
  49. Gaza Action Ireland
  50. Gesellschaft Schweiz-Palästina
  51. Gibanje za pravice Palestincev Slovenija
  52. Global Legal Action Network
  53. Greater Toronto for BDS
  54. Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
  55. HK Norway – The Norwegian Union of Commerce and office employees
  56. Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition
  57. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS”
  58. Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan
  59. Human Rights Institutions Association (HRIA)
  60. ICAHD-USA
  61. Independent Commission for Human Rights
  62. International Association of Democratic Lawyers
  63. International Commission of Jurists Norway (ICJ Norway)
  64. International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
  65. Ireland Against Fascism
  66. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
  67. Jews for Palestine-Ireland
  68. Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
  69. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
  70. Justice Call
  71. Justice for Palestinians
  72. Kairos foundation of Nigeria
  73. Labor for Palestine
  74. Law for Palestine
  75. Leiden University
  76. Letters for Palestine
  77. Medico International
  78. National Lawyers Guild International Committee
  79. NorCal Sabeel
  80. NOVACT
  81. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
  82. ODV Salaam Ragazzi dell’Olivo Comitato di Trieste
  83. Palestina Solidariteit vzw
  84. Palestina Toma la Calle
  85. Palestine Legal
  86. Palestine Solidarity Alliance South Africa
  87. Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Cape Town (PSC-CT)
  88. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
  89. Palestinian and Jewish Unity
  90. Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
  91. Pax Christi Vlaanderen
  92. Physicians for Human Rights Israel
  93. Potchefstroom For Palestine
  94. Regina Peace Council
  95. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
  96. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
  97. South African BDS Coalition
  98. South African Jews for a Free Palestine
  99. Stellenbosch University Palestinian Solidarity Forum
  100. Students4Change
  101. The Canadian BDS Coalition
  102. The Community Action Center/ Al-Quds University
  103. The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP)
  104. The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)
  105. The Norwegian Initiative Defend International Law
  106. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
  107. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy-MIFTAH
  108. The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO)
  109. The Rights Forum
  110. U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)
  111. Union of Palestinian Women Committees (UPWC)
  112. United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
  113. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
  114. University of Groningen
  115. Vrede vzw – Belgium