Georgetown University has ended its affiliation with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestinian issues, following sustained criticism over her statements and after she was sanctioned by the United States earlier this year, according to the watchdog group UN Watch.
UN Watch reported that Albanese was removed from Georgetown’s list of affiliated scholars at the university’s Institute for the Study of International Migration. Her biography page, which previously described her as an international lawyer and researcher focused on Palestinian refugees, is no longer accessible on the university’s website.
UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer welcomed the move, saying the university had taken an important step by distancing itself from an official who has been widely condemned for antisemitic rhetoric and for justifying violence against civilians.
Albanese has been under intense scrutiny since July, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against her. The State Department said Albanese had engaged directly with the International Criminal Court in efforts to pursue investigations and legal action against US and Israeli nationals, despite the fact that neither country is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the court.
In announcing the sanctions, the State Department accused Albanese of expressing support for terrorism, promoting antisemitic narratives, and showing hostility toward the United States, Israel, and Western democracies.
Several US allies have also publicly rebuked Albanese in recent years. France and Germany condemned her in early 2024 after she argued that the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel was not antisemitic in nature, claiming instead that the victims were killed “in response to Israel’s oppression.” Both governments described her remarks as scandalous and incompatible with the principles of the United Nations.
