10 Jul 2025 08:12 AM US Sanctions UN Expert Critical of Israel's War in Gaza
Rubio accused Albanese of bias and said her efforts to prompt the court to 'investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute' US and Israeli citizens have infringed on those countries' sovereignty.
'We will not tolerate these campaigns of political and economic warfare, which threaten our national interests and sovereignty,' Rubio said.
A spokesperson for Albanese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Albanese, an Italian lawyer and academic, has called on states at the UN Human Rights Council to impose an arms embargo and cut off trade and financial ties with Israel, alleging it is waging a 'genocidal campaign' in Gaza.
In a report published earlier this month, Albanese accused over 60 companies, including major arms manufacturers and technology firms, of involvement in supporting Israeli settlements and military actions in Gaza. The report called on companies to cease dealings with Israel and for legal accountability for executives implicated in alleged violations of international law.
Albanese is one of dozens of independent human rights experts mandated by the United Nations to report on specific themes and crises. The views expressed by special rapporteurs do not reflect those of the global body as a whole.
Since returning to office on January 20, President Donald Trump has stopped US engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and ordered a review of the UN cultural agency UNESCO. He has also announced US plans to quit the Paris climate deal and the World Health Organization.
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court in June in retaliation over the war tribunal's issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.
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