WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday removed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories who has harshly criticized Israel, following a court order.
A notice on the Treasury Department’s website showed that it had removed a sanctions designation on Albanese that had blacklisted her globally, making it impossible for her to use major credit cards or carry out bank transactions.
Albanese is an Italian lawyer who is UN special rapporteur on the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
In that role, she had recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war-crimes prosecutions against Israeli and American nationals.
She also authored a report accusing major US companies of complicity in what she called Israel’s “ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza.”
The US imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025 over what it said were her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to take action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announcing sanctions against Albanese in July last year, said she has “spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West.”
Albanese denies allegations of antisemitism, which have also been made by Israel.
The sanctions had barred her from entering the US and banking there.
Albanese’s husband and daughter, who is a US citizen, sued the Trump administration in February.
US District Judge Richard Leon on May 13 granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions.
“Protecting the freedom of speech is ‘always’ in the public interest,” Leon wrote in an opinion accompanying the order.
The judge also rule found that Albanese’s residency outside the US does not undercut her protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution and that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the “idea or message expressed.”
Following the ruling, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control said it would not implement or enforce the sanctions against Albanese while the order remained in effect.
The US State Department and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
