France has folded: it will not demand the resignation of the UN anti-Semitic worker

The French delegation to the United Nations did not call for the resignation of Francesca Albanza, the controversial special envoy for the affairs of the Palestinian territories, during a meeting of the United Nations yesterday (Wednesday) – this despite French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barro committing to do so. Several European countries demanded Albanza’s resignation following her remarks earlier this month regarding the war in Gaza, during which she allegedly referred to Israel as a “common enemy of humanity.”

Albanza is considered one of the most hostile voices to Israel in the international community and has even been accused of severe anti-Semitism. Since the war broke out, it has consistently tried to reduce the severity of Hamas’ atrocities on October 7, and even echoed a claim that Israel is the “embodiment of evil.”

The statement that provoked the sharpest storm occurred during an Al Jazeera conference in Qatar, where Albanza was a guest: “Instead of stopping Israel, most of the world armed Israel, provided it with political support and economic support. This is a challenge. The fact that most of the Western media promotes the narrative for apartheid and genocide is a challenge. And at the same time, here lies the opportunity. We do not control large capital, algorithms or weapons. We Now we see that we, as humanity, have a common enemy.”

While many pointed out that Albanza’s words were aimed at Israel, after the storm broke out she denied that was her intention. According to Albanza, she did not refer to Israel as “the common enemy of humanity”, but to “the system”, and claimed that her words were “distorted”.

France, Germany and other countries called for Albanese’s resignation following the statements. In a speech delivered on February 11 in the National Assembly of France, Barrow said that “Albanza’s provocations call for only one response: resignation. And with these words and with this determination, France will speak during the UN Human Rights Council session.” Barrow’s call was supported by the US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, who previously criticized France for not doing enough in the struggle in antisemitism.

But in the speech of France’s representative to the UN Human Rights Council, there was no explicit call for Albanese’s resignation. The representative contented herself with referring to “repeated and extremely problematic statements by the UN special envoy”, and called on special envoys to “behave with the restraint, moderation and discretion required by virtue of their mandate”. When asked about the change in position, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry told POLITICO that Barrow still supports her resignation.

The United Nations has no formal mechanism that could force Albanza to resign before the end of her term in 2028, with the exception of a resolution by the Human Rights Council – a move that sources familiar with the details told POLITICO is unlikely. Albanza, for her part, has made it clear that she has no intention of resigning.