Sanctions on a ‘Biased and Malicious’ UN Official Are Lifted — For Now

As American sanctions are lifted on a United Nation official, Francesca Albanese, opponents say that their fight against the “biased and malicious” antisemitic Italian activist is far from over. A UN’s Human Rights Council’s “rapporteur” for the Palestinian Territories, Ms. Albanese was designated last July for American sanctions. On Wednesday a “deletion” of her name from a list of specially designated nationals was announced by the Department of Treasury’s office of foreign assets control. The sanction lifting announcement followed an injunction by Washington D.C.-based District Judge, Richard Leon. He cited possible infringement of Ms. Albanese’s first amendment rights in ordering a temporary lifting of the sanctions.Mr. Leon’s decision was “a preliminary injunction that was done quickly by a judge who likes to overturn things,” the Executive Director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer, tells the Sun. The case, he added, “hasn’t gone to appeal yet, so we’re very far from a final decision.”Judge Leon’s injunction did not directly address the meat of the case against Ms. Albanese, Mr. Neuer noted. The case “will have to be heard on the merits, and we hope that she will lose the case, and when she loses the case, the sanctions will go back.”Several countries, including Germany, France, and Ms. Albanese’s own Italy, publicly called for her resignation over antisemitic comments she had made, and keeps making. At the same time, she became a folk heroine among adamant supporters of the Palestinian cause.Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the American case against her last July. Ms. Albanese “directly engaged with the International Criminal Court in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries,” Mr. Rubio wrote. He noted that neither America nor Israel are ICC members, and should not be under the Hague-based court’s jurisdiction. In addition to ICC activities, America has “repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a Special Rapporteur,” Mr. Rubio wrote last year. She has “spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.”In a rant posted on Facebook this week, Ms. Albanese berated Germany for what she claimed was “historical guilt”-driven support of Israel. “Many Germans have pretended to overcome their Nazi past by creating an exception,” she wrote, adding that the Jews are “no longer the people of the book.” Israelis, she added, are “the chosen people. Chosen to dominate.”Sanctions against Ms. Albanese included banning her from entering America and using the U.S. dollar-based global banking system. Her husband, the world bank economist Massimiliano Calì, and a New York-based daughter whose name has not been made public, sued the Trump administration. Their suit led to Judge Leon’s injunction. Mr. Neuer says he assumes the Trump administration will appeal the injunction. Discovery would force Ms. Albanese to defend inconsistencies that were made in appealing the sanctions. Separately, he said, UN Watch is supplying evidence against Ms. Albanese that could lead to sanctions beyond her ICC activities. Those could include corruption under the Magnitsky act or support of terrorism. UN Watch has already supplied additional information on Ms. Albanese’s activities to Congress and the Treasury Department Mr. Neuer said. “I’m not going to yet state what grounds we’re going to invoke, but we will be bringing information that we’ve compiled to the authorities.” It can be used “even if the government loses on the final decision of this case.”

Sanctions on a ‘Biased and Malicious’ UN Official Are Lifted — For Now

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