By Eli Mendez-Garcia –
Two U.S. Christian charities are suing former UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for defamation after she accused them of aiding war crimes by supporting Israeli settlements.
Pro-Israel ministries and Christian groups “exist to build bridges of faith and to smear them as war criminals is not just false, it is a dangerous lie that puts good people at risk,” said Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, which filed the suit.
In dispute is a significant question for courts to decide: Does Albanese have “diplomatic immunity” making her beyond reach of civil suit because she is a UN official? Plaintiffs argue on two grounds that she is stripped of immunity and liable:
- because she exceeded her UN-defined duties in the defamation and
- her reappointment is invalid because of procedural irregularities at the United Nations.
The September 2025 federal lawsuit in Colorado claims Albanese’s letters and reports falsely linked Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel USA to genocide and apartheid, claims the groups say were baseless and malicious.
“Some of the vilest antisemites and terror supporters have sought to shield themselves from accountability by hiding behind the UN flag,” says Eugene Kontorovich, a fellow of the Heritage Foundation which supports the suit. “The American citizens she has harmed deserve direct justice.”
The case tests whether international officials can target U.S. nonprofits with impunity.
The United Nations has been an anti-Israel circus. Its General Assembly censured Israel 154 times in 2015-23. China got 0 censures, despite its flagrant human rights violations against the Uyghurs and its suppression of freedom of religion. Iran, despite killing thousands for removing the hijab, got a mere 8 censures.
Behind the shield of “diplomatic immunity,” UN officials have validated the Palestinian narrative, ignored the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and accused Israel of genocide, while legal authorities saying genocide must include the “intent” to wipe out a people group.
Israel has tried to minimize civilian deaths by giving evacuation warnings, has responded to deadly attacks and has pursued military objectives (freeing the hostages, dismantling Hamas and ensuring its future safety).
The suit – which accuses Albanese of defamation, trade libel and tortious interference with business relationships – follows legal wranglings in the UN and the federal government to get Albanese unappointed.
A court will decide if the procedural irregularities of her re-appointment invalidate it and thus deprive of her immunity.
Albanese claimed the Christian charities funnel millions in U.S. donations to “illegal” Israeli settlements, funding projects that “train extremist settlers,” provide military equipment to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and support land annexation – a claim plaintiffs say is “wholly baseless.”
As rapporteur, Albanese “had a position as one of the United Nations kind of professional Israel bashers,” says Kontorovich, a professor of Law at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, VA. “She has been essentially a Hamas supporter, justifying Hamas’s attacks and making vicious blood libels against the Jewish state.”
On July 9, President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning Albanese for overreach with her alleged work with the International Criminal Court, of which the U.S. is not a member. Albanese supposedly aided investigation and prosecution of Israeli and (potentially) U.S. citizens by the ICC, even though neither country belongs to the court.
Under the sanctions, her assets in the United States are frozen, and she cannot travel to the United States.
Related content: Imam says holy land belongs to Israel, niece to Palestinian leader says don’t give them statehood, Muslim nations condemn Hamas while Western nations reward Hamas. Sources: Eugene Kontorovich, others.
