The United States has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, over her criticism of Israel and her recent report accusing American tech companies of contributing to alleged Israeli war crimes. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move on social media, stating it was in response to her “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel.”

Last month, Albanese’s office released a report alleging that corporations such as Google’s parent company Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Palantir were complicit in supporting Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied territories. The report cited claims of apartheid, genocide, and war crimes, asserting that continued corporate engagement in Israel’s economy could amount to material support for those crimes.

Rubio said the U.S. would “take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

U.S. Calls for Albanese’s Removal

The U.S. Mission to the UN previously called for Albanese’s ouster and demanded that Secretary-General António Guterres publicly condemn her work, labeling her claims “false and offensive.” However, UN special rapporteurs are appointed independently by the Human Rights Council and are not under the secretary-general’s direct authority.

The U.S. withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February, citing growing frustration with what it called “institutionalized antisemitic hatred and bias against Israel.”

Albanese, appointed in 2022, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Her past comments—such as suggesting that victims of the October 7 Hamas attack were killed due to Israel’s oppression—have drawn sharp criticism from pro-Israel groups and U.S. officials.

Her reappointment to a new three-year term in April prompted further backlash, with the U.S. accusing the UN of legitimizing terrorism.