The White House is pressing the United Nations to remove Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, over what officials describe as a pattern of inflammatory, legally questionable and antisemitic conduct.

In a formal diplomatic communication to UN leadership, the US accused Albanese of crossing ethical and legal boundaries by promoting fringe legal theories and issuing sweeping threats to American and international companies.

Albanese, an Italian academic appointed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2022 and recently reappointed for a second term, has come under increasing scrutiny for her outspoken criticism and targeting of Israel. Recently, she sent letters to major companies, some of them US government contractors, warning that doing business with Israel could constitute “complicity in genocide,” “apartheid,” and other grave human rights abuses. The letters alleged potential criminal liability under international law.