Arabic version: الولايات المتحدة تنفي تغيير السياسة بشأن العقوبات ضد فرانسيسكا ألبانيزي
The United States has denied that the cancellation of sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territory, constitutes a change in the government’s policy. According to Al Jazeera, the State Department clarified that the administration of President Donald Trump only removed Albanese from a sanctions list due to a recent court ruling.
The State Department added that it has appealed the court’s order and intends to restore Albanese’s name to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) if the ruling is stayed or overturned. The Trump administration targeted Albanese with sanctions in July 2025, after she recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Albanese, a human rights expert, has been outspoken in her criticism of Israeli policies towards Palestinians, and she has issued reports documenting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, where the death toll is estimated to exceed 75,000. Her family filed a civil complaint in a US federal court in Washington, DC, seeking to overturn the sanctions as a violation of Albanese’s constitutional rights, including the right to free speech.
On May 13, US District Judge Richard Leon sided with the plaintiffs, issuing a preliminary injunction to block the sanctions against Albanese. Leon, who was appointed by Republican President George W Bush, said in his decision that the government had sought to regulate Albanese because of the “idea or message expressed” in her speech. “Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” the judge wrote. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion.” Albanese is one of several international figures, including ICC judges, targeted by the US with retaliatory sanctions due to their involvement in cases concerning alleged rights abuses by Israeli forces.
