On May 21, the US State Department clarified that lifting sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, does not reflect a change in President Donald Trump’s administration policy.
“The government has appealed the court’s ruling,” the State Department affirmed, reiterating its intent to return Ms. Albanese to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. “Should the DC Circuit Court of Appeals uphold or reverse that order, the government intends to restore Ms. Albanese’s name to the SDN list.”
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Ms. Albanese in July 2025 after she recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ms. Albanese, a human rights expert, has consistently criticized Israeli policies towards Palestinians and published reports documenting genocide in Gaza, where Palestinian casualties are estimated to exceed 75,000.
Ms. Albanese’s family filed a lawsuit in federal US court in February 2026, arguing that the sanctions violated constitutional rights, including free speech. The suit stated she lost access to bank accounts, her apartment, and US-linked financial systems. Judge Richard Leon, appointed by President George W. Bush, issued a preliminary ruling on May 13 blocking the sanctions. “Ms. Albanese merely spoke,” the judge wrote in his decision. “There is no dispute that her recommendations had no binding effect on ICC actions—they were merely her opinions.”
Ms. Albanese is one of several international figures, including ICC judges, targeted by US retaliatory sanctions for involvement in cases regarding alleged human rights abuses by Israeli forces. Many human rights organizations, experts, and scholars have echoed her conclusions about genocidal actions in Gaza. However, the Trump administration accused her of “biased and malicious activities” rendering her “unfit to serve” and criticized the ICC for “lawfare” in issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
