UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese Calls for Brazil to Suspend Trade with Israel

United Nations Special Rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese has called for Brazil to suspend all trade with Israel as a necessary measure to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Albanese has faced significant legal and personal challenges due to her position, including being declared persona non grata by Israel in February 2024. This ban followed her comments that Israeli civilians killed during the October 7 Hamas attacks were killed in response to Israeli oppression rather than because they were Jewish.

Albanese also detailed the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States Department of State in July 2025 against individuals collaborating with the International Criminal Court investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza. She stated that these sanctions led to the revocation of her diplomatic visa, the closure of her bank account, the cancellation of her health insurance, and the loss of her academic affiliation with Georgetown University. A federal judge later suspended these sanctions in May, ruling that they violated her freedom of expression.

Regarding accusations of apartheid, Albanese argued that Israel uses religious and ethnic differences to maintain a supremacist system of domination over Palestinians. She dismissed claims that the treatment is based solely on nationality, asserting that Palestinians are treated as an inferior race. Additionally, Albanese addressed a February incident where a pro Israel NGO, UN Watch, published an edited video that made it appear as though she called Israel the common enemy of humanity. She clarified that she was referring to the system that allows genocide in Palestine. Despite this clarification, France and Germany called for her resignation.