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craig mokhiber
In 'Lawless, Vile Act,' Trump Admin Sanctions UN Expert Critical of Israeli Genocide in Gaza
One critic said Secretary of State Marco Rubio's "crude effort" to sanction Francesca Albanese "only serves to establish that the U.S. is an international outlaw."
Jul 09, 2025
Defenders of Palestine and the rule of law on Wednesday condemned Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement of sanctions targeting United Nations expert Francesca Albanese, one of the most outspoken critics of Israel's U.S.-backed genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
In a post on the social media site X, Rubio said he is imposing sanctions on Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, "for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt International Criminal Court action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."
"Albanese's campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated," Rubio added. "We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense. The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare and protect our sovereignty and that of our allies."
"Mr. Rubio, with this post you have sealed your legacy as an enemy of international law and basic human decency."
Rubio's announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza including murder and forced starvation—met with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials in Washington, D.C.
Trump and the fugitive Israeli leader reportedly discussed plans for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and a deal to secure the release of the 22 remaining living hostages believed to be held by Hamas and the bodies of over two dozen others.
The Trump administration previously sanctioned ICC officials including Prosecutor Karim Khan for issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Albanese has accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention since early 2024. Last week, she asserted that "Israel is responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history."
"The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is apocalyptic," she said. "In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination."
Israel's 642-day assault and siege on Gaza—which is the subject of an ongoing International Court of Justice genocide case—has left more than 209,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures have been deemed accurate by Israeli military intelligence and peer-reviewed studies, at least two of which concluded the official death toll is likely an undercount.
U.N. experts, jurists, genocide scholars including numerous numerous Jews in Israel and around the world, national leaders, and human rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Jewish Voice for Peace, and CodePink are among those accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Responding to Rubio's announcement, Amnesty International secretary general Agnès Callamard said on social media that "Francesca Albanese is working tirelessly to document and report on Israel's unlawful occupation, apartheid, and genocide, on the basis of international law."
"Governments around the world and all actors who believe in the rule-based order and international law must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of the sanctions against Francesca Albanese and more generally to protect the work and independence of special rapporteurs," she added.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, highlighted the movement to nominate Albanese for the Nobel Peace Prize, which stands in stark contrast with Netanyahu's dubious nomination of Trump for the award.
U.S. human rights attorney Craig Mokhiber—who in October 2023 resigned from his U.N. post over what he called the world body's inaction in the face of "a genocide unfolding before our eyes"—accused Rubio of "a lawless, vile act."
"Your arrogance will catch up to you," Mokhiber added. "The impunity that you are enjoying now will be gone within a few years, and I am confident that you will be held accountable for your persecution of human rights defenders and for your violations of the human rights of countless people in the U.S. There are millions who will work to ensure it."
Laura Boldrini, a lawmaker from Albanese's native Italy and former U.N. human rights official, said on social media that Rubio's move is "a disgrace that cannot be ignored."
"Albanese's latest report, which lists the companies involved in the illegal annexation policies of the West Bank carried out by the Israeli government, has clearly hit the mark," she added. "It is no longer just a matter of political interests, but also economic ones. And this, for Netanyahu and Trump, is truly too much. Nothing and no one must disturb business: not even the denunciation of a genocide and the illegal occupation of another people's territories."
Arab American Institute founder James J. Zogby contended that Rubio's "crude effort to sanction U.N. human rights champion Francesca Albanese and the International Criminal Court only serves to establish that the U.S. is an international outlaw."
"Israel is violating international law and human rights, and the U.S. is enabling it," he added. "It's a disgrace."
Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive director of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, noted that the Trump administration this week removed al-Qaeda-linked militants who toppled the regime of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations, but is sanctioning a U.N. human rights official.
"Let that sink in," Parsi said.
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Ex-UN Official: Israel Committing 'Most Clear-Cut Case of Genocide' in Gaza
Meanwhile, a Biden administration spokesperson says it is "too soon" to judge whether Israel is protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Dec 05, 2023
A former United Nations human rights official who resigned from his job in October over what he called the world body's refusal to prevent Israel's slaughter of thousands of Palestinian civilians said this week that Israeli forces are undeniably committing genocide in Gaza.
In a Sunday interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed translated by The New Arab, Craig Mokhiber—formerly the New York director for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights—described Israel's Gaza onslaught as the "most clear-cut case of genocide I have seen in my career."
"We are witnessing genocide in the 21st century, and it seems that the United Nations is once again unable to stop it," the American attorney added. "I realize that the term 'genocide' is being politicized and misused in some circumstances—so as a human rights lawyer, I am careful to apply the term only when there is a prima facie case and the evidence is clear."
"We are witnessing genocide in the 21st century, and it seems that the United Nations is once again unable to stop it."
Mokhiber, who is 63 years old, worked at the U.N. for more than 30 years as a human rights specialist, serving in places including Gaza, Afghanistan, and Darfur. He also worked during the Tutsi, Bosnian, Yazidi, and Rohingya genocides.
He quit in late October, penning a scathing resignation letter excoriating the U.N. Echoing earlier comments by Israeli Holocaust scholar Raz Segal, Mokhiber called Israel's conduct "a textbook case of genocide."
"What's interesting about this case compared to others is that generally when you try to prove genocidal intent, you need to get secret government documents and files, and dig through old secret archives to find indicators of intent," Mokhiber said Sunday.
"Here we have frank and clear statements of genocidal intent by senior Israeli officials, both public and official," he added.
Numerous senior Israeli officials have made what critics have called genocidal statements, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, and a number of Knesset lawmakers.
"They have a strong sense of impunity, frankly because of the protection they enjoy from the United States, Britain, and Europe in international forums," said Mokhiber.
During a Monday press conference, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about Mokhiber's genocide assertion.
"The State Department has a rigorous process for evaluating... what constitutes genocide, ethnic cleansing, or a crime against humanity," he replied. "Those are terms we only use with very explicit care."
"We are monitoring the evolving situations and are examining facts as they develop," Miller continued. "It's an extremely challenging space to get all the information... But we support Israel's right to continue to take action to ensure that Hamas can never conduct terrorist attacks like it did on October 7th again. And as part of that, we urge Israel to take all possible measures to minimize civilian harm."
Asked if Israel is heeding Biden administration exhortations to protect civilians in Gaza, Miller said that "I think it's too early to draw a definitive assessment. I will say that unfortunately, we do expect to see civilian casualties as a result of this campaign."
"We believe that far too many civilians have been killed," Miller said later during the press conference. "But again, this goes back to the underlying problem of this entire situation, which is that Hamas has embedded itself inside civilians—inside civilian homes, inside its mosques, in schools, in churches. It is Hamas that is putting these civilians in harm's way."
Gaza officials said Tuesday that nearly 16,000 Palestinians—including more than 4,000 women and over 6,000 children—have been killed by Israeli bombs and bullets, with upward of 42,000 others wounded, around 80% of the besieged strip's 2.3 million people forcibly displaced, and approximately 60% of the territory's homes destroyed or damaged.
President Joe Biden—who is seeking $14.3 billion in additional military aid for Israel—and other U.S. officials have been accused of genocide denial for aspersing Gaza authorities' casualty reports because they were issued by Hamas. However, Israeli military officials said off the record this week that Hamas' figures are accurate.
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