Francesca Albanese targeted by pro-Israel groups ahead of UN mandate renewal

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, is currently facing a well-orchestrated smear campaign aimed at blocking the renewal of her mandate, which is set to expire this week.

The UN Human Rights Council is expected to vote on 4 April on whether to extend her term for another three years.

Albanese has come under increasing attack from a network of pro-Israel lobby groups, political figures, and governments critical of her outspoken advocacy for Palestinian rights and her consistent warnings of ethnic cleansing and genocidal violence in Gaza.

Among the most vocal opponents is UN Watch, a Geneva-based organisation founded by the staunchly pro-Israel group the World Jewish Congress, with a long record of targeting UN officials and global figures perceived as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

The group launched a petition demanding the Council not renew Albanese's mandate and issued a 60-page report filled with politically charged accusations, including claims of "antisemitism" and so-called "Jihadi propaganda" - terms often deployed to delegitimise criticism of Israeli government policies.

UN Watch, a group firmly rooted in pro-Israel advocacy, plays a prominent role in the wider hasbara (public diplomacy) effort used to promote Israel’s narrative internationally.

According to reports, Israel allocates hundreds of millions of shekels annually to influence international opinion. In 2023 alone, Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs reportedly received 130 million shekels (about $36 million USD) to fund global hasbara campaigns, including digital surveillance and targeted lobbying efforts. 

This budget has since increased following Israel's latest offensive on Gaza, as the Palestinian cause gained unprecedented global attention and solidarity, prompting Israel to intensify its international propaganda efforts to counter growing criticism and calls for accountability.

British MP David Taylor, speaking to the Jewish Chronicle - a staunchly pro-Israel UK-based outlet - criticised Albanese's framing of the Israeli assault on Gaza as rooted in longstanding structural violence. His remarks were part of a broader effort by UK officials to distance themselves from Albanese, despite the UK not currently holding a seat on the Human Rights Council.

Other opponents include right-wing members of the US Congress, who recently issued a letter to the Council president urging the rejection of Albanese’s reappointment. Their argument largely recycles longstanding tropes labelling criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitic or supportive of alleged "terrorism".

In the Netherlands, the foreign ministry confirmed it would not support a second mandate for Albanese, following pressure from conservative religious factions. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp even declined to meet her during her recent visit.

Meanwhile, in Germany, two of her scheduled academic talks were abruptly cancelled after university administrators reportedly yielded to pressure from pro-Israel organisations - an alarming indication of shrinking civic space for Palestinian advocacy in European institutions.

The breadth and intensity of the campaign against Albanese is stark. Another hardline Zionist organisation, Betar, reportedly threatened to target Albanese with a "pager attack" during her recent visit to London in mid-March - a disturbing reference to Israel's indiscriminate and deadly pager attacks on Lebanon last September.

Francesca Albanese's work, however, has been grounded in international law. Her most recent report, released two weeks ago, warns that Palestinians face an imminent threat of mass displacement under the guise of Israel's military campaign in Gaza - a strategy she connects to the broader historical pattern of dispossession seen during the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 Naksa.

"Israel is using the war on Hamas as a pretext to seize more land and forcibly displace Palestinians," she wrote. "This is history repeating itself, and the world pretends not to see."

She called on the international community to act on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which concluded that Israel's prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and must end. She urged immediate, binding measures to halt what she described as a potential genocide in Gaza.

During a recent interview with Britain's Channel 4, Albanese pointed out the hypocrisy of Western leaders who continue to avoid meeting her.

"How do leaders, including those in this country, look at their children these days, eat their meals, and buy things from Amazon or anywhere else? How can you continue with your life believing you have the power to stop that genocide in Gaza when you don’t?"

[Editor’s note: This article was amended on 9 April 2025 to correct the name of the Dutch foreign minister from Kasja Ollongren to Caspar Veldkamp, and to include additional editorial changes.]