New Delhi: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, accusing her of waging a campaign of “political and economic warfare” against both Israel and the US. The move follows her strong criticism of foreign governments and corporations for their alleged complicity in Gaza, where Israel’s military operations have been repeatedly likened to genocide.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions were in response to “her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt @IntlCrimCourt action against U.S. and Israeli officials, companies, and executives.”Albanese, who has served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories since 2022, has long been a target of criticism in Washington and Tel Aviv.Earlier this week, Albanese had publicly criticised Italy, France and Greece for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, to use their airspace during his travel to the United States.The Trump administration had last month sanctioned ICC judges for issuing the arrest warrants.The Biden administration had previously distanced itself from similar ICC actions, but it appears that the Trump administration is taking a more aggressive approach.“Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated. We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense,” Rubio posted on X.In a separate press statement released by the US State Department, Rubio accused Albanese of “unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West.”“That bias has been apparent across the span of her career,” the statement continued, “including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.”The ICC has charged both Netanyahu and Gallant with war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly depriving Palestinians in Gaza of essential supplies, including food, water and medicine.When reached for a reaction to the announcement of sanctions, she told Al Jazeera that she had “no comment on mafia style intimidation techniques”. “Busy reminding member states of their obligations to stop and punish genocide. And those who profit from it,” she stated.Albanese, who has an active social media presence, had reposted a message in support of ICC, adding that, “Just to be sure, on this day more than ever: I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done”.Just to be sure, on this day more than ever: I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done. I come from a country with a tradition of illustrious legal scholars, talented lawyers and corageous judges who have defended justice at great cost and… https://t.co/Oytoeg5QMo— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) July 9, 2025The Italy-born UN expert wrote that she came from a country which housed the Court and “illustrious legal scholars, talented lawyers and courageous judges who have defended justice at great cost and often with their own life”.Albanese has also drawn criticism from Washington for a recent report she authored, which accused international corporations, including US-based tech giants Google, Microsoft and Palantir, of enabling or profiting from Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The report argued that these activities violated international law and called for the private sector to be held accountable.According to Rubio, the report and her related outreach to companies played a role in the sanctions. “She has recently escalated this effort by writing threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide, including major American companies across finance, technology, defense, energy, and hospitality,” he said. “These letters made extreme and unfounded accusations and recommended that the ICC pursue investigations and prosecutions of these companies and their executives,” he said.