“Making statements of this nature in a UN capacity is abhorrent and does so much damage to communities already torn apart by horrific violence, going against everything the United Nations stands for.”
Albanese was condemned by the German and French foreign ministries after she denied that Hamas’s atrocities on October 7 were antisemitic and said victims were killed “in reaction to Israel's oppression”.
Taylor added: “As the German and French Ministries have said, there is no place for such alleged antisemitism on the international stage”.
Campaign group UN Watch is attempting to prevent Albanese from being reappointed to a second term given the nature of her comments
The group has organised a petition to prevent her reappointment by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which has over 83,000 signatures.
And, in a major intervention on Tuesday, Congressman Brian Mast, chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to the President of the Human Rights Council to “strongly object” to Albanese’s reappointment.
He claimed that she has failed to act “in an independent capacity with a professional, impartial assessment, and maintain the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity through impartiality, equity and honesty”.
“Regrettably, Ms. Albanese’s rhetoric has perverted the very institution and its foundational principles in which she was appointed to serve”, Mast added, claiming that her comments justified US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Human Rights Council.
The Foreign Office refused to comment on whether the government supported Albanese’s reappointment to her position – the UK is not currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council
However, departmental sources told the JC that “United Nations appointments are a matter for the United Nations”.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Board of Deputies called on the UN to dismiss Albanese after she she expressed support for disgraced academic David Miller in a now-deleted post on X.
“The UN’s ‘Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories’, Francesca Albanese has a history of highly inflammatory statements about Israel and Jews”, they said in a statement.
“Now, she has publicly supported notorious conspiracy theorist and employee of the Iranian regime’s Press TV, David Miller.”
The Board claimed that the UN has turned a blind eye to her conduct, and consequently its reputation is being “dragged through the mud”.
And just last week, Albanese claimed that allegations of antisemitism have been “weaponised” against her during an appearance on the popular The Rest is Politics podcast, hosted by former Conservative minister Rory Stewart and Tony Blair’s former head of communications Alastair Campbell.
Labour Friends of Israel criticised Zarah Sultana – a Labour MP who is currently suspended for voting against the government on a key issue – for meeting and posing for pictures with Albanese last month
“Posing for smiling photos with her is yet another reminder of exactly why Sultana is not fit to be a Labour MP”, the group’s director Michael Rubin said.
Moreover, a senior Labour source told the JC that the MP for Coventry South’s prospects of returning to the party were reduced because of the meeting.
“This doesn’t exactly help her chances of ever getting the Labour Whip back”, they added.
David Taylor MP (Image: X).[Missing Credit]