Israel announced Monday that it had banned the entry into its territory of the United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, after comments on the October 7 attack deemed “anti-Semitic” by the Israeli authorities.
Francesca Albanese, an independent expert appointed by the UN, criticized Emmanuel Macron's comments last week describing the Hamas assault on Israeli soil as "the greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century."
“No, Mr. @EmmanuelMacron.
The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel's oppression.
France and the international community did nothing to prevent it,” she wrote on X.
The 'greatest anti-Semitic massacre of our century'?
No, Mr. @EmmanuelMacron.
The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel's oppression.
France & the international community did nothing to prevent it.
My respects to the victims.
https://t.co/uiXOkD7HV4
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPT (@FranceskAlbs) February 10, 2024
In a statement, Israeli Ministers of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel considered these comments "scandalous", announced that she was now "banned from entry by the State of Israel", and called for her resignation.
The immigration authorities were instructed not to grant him a visa, they added.
Francesca Albanese shortly after reacted on
"This should not distract from Israel's atrocities in Gaza, which reach a new level of horror with the bombing of people in
safe areas
in Rafah," she continued.
Francesca Albanese: “I reject all racism”
She had rather indicated, still on 000 of them from their lands at the time of the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
Francesca Albanese had also previously said she was “disappointed that some read (her) tweet as
justifying the Hamas crimes of October 7
, (which she has) strongly condemned several times”.
“I reject all racism, including anti-Semitism, a global threat.
But explaining these crimes as anti-Semitism obscures their true cause,” she added.
The Quai d'Orsay disavowed his remarks
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denounced Francesca Albanese's comments.
“The massacre of October 7 is the largest anti-Semitic massacre of the 21st century.
Disputing it is a mistake.
Seeming to justify it, by including the name of the United Nations, is a shame.
These comments are all the more scandalous since the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the UN,” he said on Sunday on X.
The October 7 massacre is the largest anti-Semitic massacre of the 21st century.
Disputing it is a mistake.
Seeming to justify it, by including the name of the United Nations, is a shame.
These comments are all the more scandalous as the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms… https://t.co/IGOfEP5Q0q
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) February 10, 2024
Relations between Israel and various UN officials have deteriorated since the start of the Israeli operation launched in Gaza in retaliation for the attack by the Hamas movement, in power in the Palestinian territory since 2007.
The UN must disavow it, demand two Israeli ministers
“If the UN wants to become a competent body again, its leaders must publicly disavow the anti-Semitic remarks of their
special envoy
and immediately dismiss her,” added the two Israeli ministers.
UN Special Rapporteurs are volunteer, independent experts mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, to whom they communicate the results of their investigations.
Israel had previously criticized Francesca Albanese after she and other UN-commissioned experts said in November that Palestinians in Gaza were “gravely at risk of genocide”.
She also criticized the suspension by several countries of their funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) after the Israelis accused 12 of its employees of involvement in the October 7 attacks.