German Foreign Minister Calls for Resignation of UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
Berlin: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday called for the resignation of UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, over comments she allegedly made targeting Israel during a recent conference.
“I respect the UN system of independent rapporteurs. However, Ms. Albanese has made numerous inappropriate remarks in the past. I condemn her recent statements about Israel. She is untenable in her position,” Wadephul wrote in a post on X.
The remarks follow comments made by Albanese during a forum in Doha on Saturday, organized by the Al Jazeera network, where she spoke via videoconference. In her address, she referred to what she described as a “common enemy of humanity” while criticizing “most of the world” and much of the Western media for what she characterized as enabling the “genocide” in Gaza.
“And this is a challenge — the fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support,” Albanese said.
In response to the criticism, Albanese rejected the allegations, saying her comments had been misrepresented. In an interview with French broadcaster France 24 on Wednesday, she denounced what she called “completely false accusations” and “manipulation” of her words.
The exchange highlights growing diplomatic tensions surrounding international reactions to the conflict in Gaza, with debate intensifying over the role of UN officials and the language used to describe the situation.
