Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, has stated she will not resign her position following what she termed "ludicrous" accusations from the French foreign minister. Germany, France, and the Czech Republic have led calls for her departure over an alleged antisemitic comment about Israel, which Albanese denies, attributing the claims to misinformation.
Albanese told Euronews that the accusations are a "distraction" from her reports documenting international support for Israel. She stated, "Let's not make it about me, let's talk about the seven damning reports where I documented 62 states, among whom France, who have provided political, strategic and military support to Israel." She emphasized that the scrutiny over her alleged words, rather than the practices of a state accused of crimes against humanity, is "telling."
The controversy originated after French MPs accused Albanese of describing Israel as "an enemy of humanity." While one video cited to support this claim was later proven to be manipulated by artificial intelligence, other footage shows Albanese identifying financial and political support to Israel, along with algorithms amplifying pro-apartheid narratives and weapons, as humanity's common enemies. Albanese's supporters contend she is the target of a smear campaign.