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Georgetown University has cut ties with a United Nations expert who is facing U.S. sanctions, according to a watchdog group.
The organization U.N. Watch recently reported that U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was removed from Georgetown’s list of affiliated scholars. U.N. Watch CEO Hillel Neuer posted about the matter on Dec. 21 that “U.N. Hamas apologist Francesca Albanese has been removed from Georgetown University.”
“Thank you, [Georgetown]. It’s time to expel all terror supporters from our universities,” Neuer wrote on X.
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U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, July 15, 2025. (Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters)
Neuer also posted screenshots showing Albanese’s profile on the university’s website as it appeared before she was removed from the list as well as an image of the page showing an error.
Georgetown described Albanese as “an international lawyer and researcher and the author of various publications and opinions on the question of Palestinian refugees,” according to the screenshots Neuer posted.
“Georgetown University made the right decision. Academic institutions should not lend credibility to Francesca Albanese, who has been publicly condemned by democratic allies for antisemitism and Holocaust inversion. Universities exist to uphold intellectual honesty and historical truth, not to legitimize distortions of history or rhetoric that excuses violence against civilians. Accountability matters, and this step reinforces that principle,” Heather Johnston, founder of the US Israel Education Association, told Digital.
Francesca Albanese seen in Rome, Nov. 29, 2025. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)
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In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Albanese, saying that she “has directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries.” Rubio noted in the announcement that neither the U.S. nor Israel have signed onto the Rome Statute.
“Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West,” the State Department announcement reads.
Several countries have condemned Albanese’s statements in the past, often saying her remarks were antisemitic.
UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark, Feb. 5, 2025. (Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS )
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In February 2024, Albanese was condemned by France and Germany after saying French President Emmanuel Macron was wrong to call Hamas’ Oct. 7 events “the largest antisemitic massacre of our century.” In her response, she said “The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.”
France said Albanese seemed to “justify” the attacks and that her remarks were “all the more scandalous given that the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the U.N,” according to the ADL.
Germany also responded to Albanese, saying “To justify the horrific terror attacks of 7/10 [and] deny their antisemitic nature is appalling. Making such statements in a U.N. capacity is a disgrace and goes against everything the United Nations stand for.”
Digital reached out to Albanese, U.N. Watch and Georgetown University for comment.
