The United States has removed Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the West Bank and Gaza, from its sanctions list, according to the U.S. Treasury Department's official website. The move marks a significant shift in Washington's treatment of the UN human rights official, whose mandate focuses on monitoring conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The action was confirmed on the Treasury site on Thursday, May 21, 2026, though no explanation was provided for the decision to lift sanctions against the UN official tasked with reporting on human rights conditions in the region.
Pressure on Palestinian Representation
The development comes amid heightened tensions over Palestinian participation in UN leadership roles. According to The Times of Israel liveblog, the United States is planning to threaten to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the UN if the mission's envoy submits his candidacy for the vice presidency of the General Assembly. The cable was described as dated Wednesday and first reported by NPR.
US diplomats in the embassy in Jerusalem were instructed to deliver the message that Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour's General Assembly bid "fuels tensions" and risks undermining Trump's Gaza peace plan. However, a US official told The Times of Israel that the message had not actually been passed on to Ramallah because the Palestinian mission had not yet submitted its candidacy and it was not clear if it would.
The cable said, "To be clear, we will hold the [Palestinian Authority] responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy," and also said, "It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options." The Palestinian mission to the UN declined to comment.
History of US Diplomatic Pressure
Mansour had already withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly as a result of US lobbying in February. If elected to the lower-profile vice presidency, he could still preside over General Assembly sessions. The cable noted, "Therefore, there is still a risk that the Palestinians could preside over GA sessions during UNGA81 unless they withdraw from the race," and, "In a worst-case scenario, the next PGA might assist the Palestinians in presiding over high-profile sessions related to the Middle East or during UNGA81 high-level week."
The election of the UN General Assembly president and the 16 delegations that will serve as vice presidents will be held on June 2, 12 days from today.
Limited Palestinian Status at UN
The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly. It is an observer state, holding the same status as the Holy See (Vatican).
The State Department said, "We take seriously our obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement," and, "Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases."
Why This Matters:
These developments highlight tensions between US foreign policy objectives and international institutions designed to protect human rights and ensure equal participation. The removal of a UN human rights expert from sanctions while simultaneously threatening to restrict Palestinian diplomatic representation reveals the complex dynamics governing international accountability mechanisms. For Palestinians, who lack full UN membership despite observer state status, these pressures underscore the structural barriers to equal participation in global governance. The threatened visa revocations raise questions about host country obligations under international agreements and whether diplomatic pressure should limit the representation of peoples seeking recognition. As the June 2 election approaches, the incident illustrates how geopolitical considerations can constrain the voices of populations living under occupation in forums meant to provide them with international standing.