Gaza Herald – More than 150 prominent political and diplomatic figures accused French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot of spreading disinformation in his public criticism of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
The signatories said Barrot relied on distorted and inaccurate quotations to demand her resignation, framing his statements as a political attack on an independent UN mandate holder.
Lawmakers from France’s presidential bloc had alleged that Albanese labeled “Israel a common enemy of humanity,” a claim she categorically denied. Albanese said her remarks were misrepresented and taken out of context, calling the accusations false and deliberately misleading.
In an open letter released Wednesday, the group, composed largely of former Dutch diplomats along with ex-ministers from Greece, Argentina, and Denmark, condemned what they described as the manipulation of excerpts to discredit an independent UN expert. They stressed that Albanese had reaffirmed a core principle of international law: accountability for grave violations is a legal obligation, not a political choice.
Barrot, alongside officials in Germany and Italy, had previously described her statements as “outrageous” and urged her to step down. The controversy stemmed from a video address at a public forum in which Albanese referred to “the system that prevents accountability” as a common enemy of humanity, remarks that were later edited and circulated as if she had labeled Israel itself that way.
In a subsequent interview with France 24, Albanese reiterated that she had never described Israel as humanity’s enemy. She clarified that she had criticized alleged crimes, apartheid policies, and what she characterized as genocide, and denounced the international mechanisms shielding Israel from accountability.
Special rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but operate independently and do not represent the United Nations institutionally. While Paris had not imposed sanctions, its stance aligned with U.S. and Israeli criticism of Albanese. The Trump administration had previously sanctioned her in June, citing her sharp criticism of Israel and her warning letters to U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, regarding potential legal exposure tied to arms transfers.
