US, Israel excoriate UN official over antisemitic comments

The U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council said she was “appalled” by Albanese’s comments.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israeli and American officials slammed UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese after a bombshell report revealed her long history of antisemitic comments on social media.

Albanese, who is supposed to be a neutral third party observer regarding Israeli policy towards Palestinians, has compared Jews to Nazis and charged that a powerful Jewish cabal is controlling the world’s politicians, a Times of Israel report found.

Although Albanese acknowledged that the report was accurate, she did not apologize for her remarks – rather, she said she would have used different wording today.

“Antisemitism is a persistent malice that has infected the United Nations Human Rights Council for far too long,” said Israel’s mission to the UN in response to the report.

“Comments made by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese that surfaced today are yet another stain on the credibility of this body and yet another example of the impunity that exists today regarding antisemitism and antisemitic comments made by UN officials.”

Israel noted that it has repeatedly pointed out antisemitic and anti-Israel bias within the body, but that these concerns had been brushed off by the UN.

“It is about time that the United Nations take concrete action in addressing systemic antisemitism within the United Nations Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. The lack of accountability and impunity for comments made by UN officials only works to legitimize antisemitism and endangers the Jewish people,” the statement concluded.

Ambassador Michèle Taylor, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, wrote on Twitter that she is “appalled by recently uncovered antisemitic remarks on social media made by a UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur before taking on the role.

“References to the ‘Jewish Lobby’ are an age-old trope; this is outrageous, inappropriate, corrosive, and degrades the value of the UN.”

Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, said Albanese’s “blatant antisemitic rhetoric” was “unacceptable.”