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The letter was written by Shannon Seban, CAM’s director of European affairs, who argued that Albanese’s language went beyond legitimate human rights advocacy.
By Shula Rosen
The Combat Antisemitism Movement on Wednesday urged the UN Human Rights Council to remove Francesca Albanese from her role as a United Nations special rapporteur, citing remarks in which she referred to Israel as a “common enemy of humanity.”
The demand followed comments Albanese made at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, which CAM said violated the requirement that UN mandate holders maintain political neutrality and professional independence.
The organization submitted a formal letter to the president of the Human Rights Council outlining its objections and calling for immediate action.
The letter was written by Shannon Seban, CAM’s director of European affairs, who argued that Albanese’s language went beyond legitimate human rights advocacy and entered the realm of collective demonization.
“To declare the world’s only Jewish state a ‘common enemy of humanity’ is not human rights advocacy,” Seban wrote. “It is the language of collective demonization, and it echoes some of the darkest chapters in modern history.”
Seban said the implications of such rhetoric extend well beyond a single public appearance. In the letter, she warned that statements made by a UN-appointed official can erode confidence in the Human Rights Council itself and intensify hostility toward Jewish communities worldwide if they abandon objectivity in favor of ideological positioning.
CAM asserted that the Doha remarks were consistent with what it described as a broader pattern in Albanese’s public conduct. The organization accused her of repeatedly employing legally charged allegations without judicial findings, promoting narratives that isolate Israel for singular condemnation and invoking language that has previously drawn international criticism.
“The mandate of a special rapporteur is grounded in impartiality, independence, and professional integrity,” Seban wrote. “Those principles are not optional. When they are discarded in favor of political activism, the mandate becomes unrecognizable.”
The letter further argued that portraying Israel as a threat to humanity crosses a historical threshold, linking such characterizations to past patterns of discrimination and violence against Jews.
Seban wrote that the United Nations should not allow its authority to legitimize rhetoric with those associations.
CAM called on the Human Rights Council to initiate procedures to revoke Albanese’s mandate and conduct a formal review of her statements and actions.
Seban framed the issue as a test of institutional credibility, writing that the council must decide whether to reaffirm neutrality or tolerate inflammatory language directed at a UN member state.
Albanese’s comments have also drawn attention following her participation in events in October 2025, including an interview ahead of a conference titled “A Cartography of Genocide: Israel’s Conduct in Gaza since October 2023” at Roma Tre University in Rome.
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