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UN official denies 'Jewish lobby' comments were antisemitic

Francesca Albanese condemned 'politically-motivated attacks against my mandate'

December 18, 2022 13:40
Francesca Albanese
2 min read

A United Nations official appointed to report on the occupied Palestinian territories has denied that it was antisemitic for her to say America is “subjugated by the Jewish lobby”.

Francesca Albanese, an Italian lawyer, published an open letter to her Facebook page in 2014 that condemned America and Europe for their behaviour during Operation Protective Edge, the Times of Israel reported.

She wrote: “America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust, remain on the sidelines and continue to condemn the oppressed — the Palestinians — who defend themselves with the only means they have (deranged missiles), instead of making Israel face its international law responsibilities.”

The US mission to the UN in Geneva, Israeli officials and leading US Jewish groups condemned the comments after her comments were revealed.