UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said that the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by the Hamas terrorist organisation was a „reaction to Israeli oppression”.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese expressed outrage on platform X on Saturday after French President Emmanuel Macron referred to the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians by the Hamas terrorist organisation as „the largest antisemitic massacre of our century.” Albanese insisted that the massacre of 1,200 Israeli victims was simply a „response to Israel’s oppression,” reports The Jerusalem Post.
„The ‘greatest antisemitic massacre of our century’? No, Mr. @EmmanuelMacron. The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression. France & the international community did nothing to prevent it. My respects to the victims” wrote Albanese on X.
Le 'plus grand massacre antisémite de notre siècle'? Non, M. @EmmanuelMacron. Les victimes du 7/10 n'ont pas été tuées à cause de leur judaïsme, mais en réaction de l'oppression d'Israël. La France & la communauté int'le n'ont rien fait pour l'empêcher. Mes respects aux victimes. https://t.co/uiXOkD7HV4
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) February 10, 2024
The French Foreign Ministry condemned Albanese’s comments, replying on X that „the October 7 massacre is the largest antisemitic massacre of the 21st century. Disputing it is an error. Seeming to justify it by including the name of the United Nations is a disgrace. These comments are all the more scandalous since the fight against antisemitism, and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the UN.”
Le massacre du 7 octobre est le plus grand massacre antisémite du 21e siècle. Le contester est une faute. Sembler le justifier, en y mêlant le nom des Nations Unies, est une honte.
Ces propos sont d’autant plus scandaleux que la lutte contre l’antisémitisme et toutes les formes… https://t.co/IGOfEP5Q0q
— France Diplomatie🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@francediplo) February 10, 2024
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy welcomed France’s response to the UN official’s comments, writing, „Bravo, France, for calling out this awful UN official for denying the intensely antisemitic motivations of the Hamas October 7 massacre and seemingly justifying it as a ‘response to Israeli oppression.'”
In response to Albanese’s outrageous post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to fire Albanese immediately.
„The time of Jewish silence in the face of such misrepresentations has passed. We must stand strong and vocal against such narratives,” Katz wrote.
Albanese, who has served as the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories since May 2022, has repeatedly spoken out during her tenure in support of Palestinian terrorism, describing such acts as „resistance” and „defence.”
She has also expressed support for boycotting Israelis, accused the State of Israel of committing genocide, and belittled findings that UNRWA employees were complicit in the October 7 massacre and served as members of Hamas.
In December 2022, at a conference organised by Hamas in Gaza, Albanese said, „You have a right to resist this occupation.”