France, Germany push for resignation over “outrageous” remarks by UN envoy to Palestine

France and Germany have called for the resignation of the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, following controversial remarks she made at a conference in Doha.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke before lawmakers on February 11, saying that the UN official’s latest statements added “to a long list of scandalous positions,” French media reports.

He stated that Paris “unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks made by Ms Francesca Albanese, which are directed not at the Israeli government, whose policies may be criticised, but at Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable.”

Barrot recalled earlier remarks by the Italian human rights expert, in which, according to the minister, she was “justifying” the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel and “comparing Israel to the Third Reich.”

“She is a political activist who stirs up hate speech that does a disservice to the cause of the Palestinian people,” Barrot said, responding to a question from Carole Yadan, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron’s camp. A day earlier, Yadan and 20 other deputies had written to Barrot urging that Albanese be “stripped of any UN mandate with immediate effect” over her comments.

Germany echoed France’s position the following day, with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul writing on X that while he "respects the UN system of independent rapporteurs," he believes "Albanese has made numerous inappropriate remarks in the past. I condemn her recent statements about Israel. She is untenable in her position.”

The dispute stems from remarks Albanese delivered by video over the weekend at a forum in Doha organized by the Al Jazeera network. In her speech, she criticized what she described as international complicity in Israel’s war in Gaza and referred to a “common enemy of humanity.”

“And this is a challenge – the fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support,” she said, accusing governments and Western media of enabling “genocide” in Gaza.

Albanese has denied that she was referring to Israel as the “common enemy.” In an interview with France 24 following the outrage, she rejected what she called “completely false accusations” and “manipulation.”

“I have never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity',” she said.

Earlier in the week, she posted a clip of her original remarks on social media, writing that “the common enemy of humanity is the system that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, including the financial capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that enable it.”

The European response follows action by the United States earlier this year. In July, the US State Department sanctioned Albanese, accusing her of engaging in “political and economic warfare” against the US and Israel and of “unabashed antisemitism.”

UN leaders rush to damage-control

At the United Nations, spokesman Stephane Dujarric sought to distinguish Albanese’s independent mandate from the position of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Secretariat.

“As I said, we don’t agree with much of what she says,” Dujarric told reporters in New York on February 12. “We wouldn’t use the language that she’s using in describing the situation.”

He emphasized that special rapporteurs are appointed by member states of the Human Rights Council and operate independently of the Secretary-General. They do not report to him, and the Secretariat does not direct their work.

“If member states are not happy with what one or more of the special rapporteurs are saying, it is their responsibility to get involved in the work of the Human Rights Council, to get involved and push for the direction they wish to push for,” Dujarric said.

By Nazrin Sadigova