Washington, 10 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on UN official Francesca Albanese, who is tasked with monitoring the Israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked the move her support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and said in a statement she was "unfit" for service.

"Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West," the statement said.

Rubio said Albanese had written "threatening letters" to entities worldwide, including several US companies, "making extreme and unfounded accusations" and recommending the ICC pursue prosecutions of the companies and their executives.

"We will not tolerate these campaigns of political and economic warfare, which threaten our national interests and sovereignty."

Albanese, an Italian legal and human rights academic, was appointed UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian Territories in 2022.

Earlier this month Albanese accused Israel of using companies to pursue a "settler-colonial" displacement project aimed at apartheid and genocide.

She has faced criticism for her views, with critics accusing her of anti-Semitism over her denunciations of Israeli actions.

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts. The UN Human Rights Council appoints them to submit reports on specific topics or countries.

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