Arabic version: إعادة فرض العقوبات على الخبيرة الأممية فرانسيسكا ألبانيز

The United States has reinstated sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory. This decision follows a temporary injunction granted by a judge on May 13, 2026, that had removed her from the sanctions list. According to Al Jazeera, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its list to include Albanese again, but did not provide further details on the reinstatement.

Albanese has been a vocal critic of Israeli policies, which has made her a target for sanctions under the Trump administration. In July 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused her of engaging in “lawfare” against Israel, citing her recommendation that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant. The sanctions imposed at that time barred her from entering the US and froze her assets, significantly impacting her life and work.

In February, Albanese’s family filed a lawsuit arguing that the sanctions disrupted her life and aimed to intimidate those who criticize Israeli rights abuses. US District Judge Richard Leon ruled in favor of the Albanese family, stating that the penalties were used to limit her constitutionally protected speech. However, the Trump administration appealed this ruling and indicated plans to restore her sanctions status.

The reinstatement of Albanese’s sanctions comes as legal experts have condemned the sanctions as an assault on international law, aimed at protecting US and Israeli interests from scrutiny. Albanese’s work continues to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 75,000 Palestinians have been killed since 2023.