Jewish groups rally behind UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine amid anti-Semitism accusations

Thirty Jewish organisations have issued a powerful joint statement defending Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories, denouncing what they describe as coordinated attempts to undermine her mandate through false accusations of anti-Semitism.

The unprecedented show of support comes as Albanese faces what the organisations describe as “relentless attack from politically motivated organisations” in what appears to be a systematic campaign to discredit her work documenting human rights conditions in the Israeli Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The groups specifically singled out organisations such as UN Watch, which they say “have been waging toxic smear campaigns to silence her and to harm her human rights mandate”. According to the statement, these organisations’ primary objective is “shielding the Israeli government from international criticism and legal accountability”.

Of particular concern to the Jewish organisations is the weaponisation of anti-Semitism allegations against the UN Rapporteur, especially by Western governments. “We reject such allegations, which are unfounded and recklessly incite against Ms. Albanese, at the risk of endangering her personal safety,” the statement declared, highlighting the potential dangerous consequences of such accusations.

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The groups expressed alarm at what they view as a broader and deeply troubling pattern of instrumentalising anti-Semitism for political purposes, particularly through the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. They strongly condemned “the escalating instrumentalisation of anti-Semitism in this regard, specifically through the highly controversial IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, which is also being weaponized against Ms. Albanese and the United Nations more broadly”.

The organisations, identifying themselves as “Jews committed to justice, equality and universal human rights”, reserved particularly strong criticism for Western governments’ positions, especially those of the US and Germany. The statement “strongly condemned the shameful diplomatic and military support that many Western governments, in particular the United States and Germany, have offered to Israel’s ongoing campaign of mass killings of Palestinian civilians and its barbaric destruction of all foundations of Palestinian life in Gaza”.

In a pointed critique of the current situation, the groups argued that the conflation of Israel’s actions with Jewish identity poses a genuine threat to Jewish communities worldwide. “Shielded by the US and European governments, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the name of ‘protecting Jews”, the statement noted, adding that “this horrific violence and cruelty will not deliver safety to Jews. On the contrary, the inaccurate and ill-fated conflation of the State of Israel with the Jewish people actually exposes and endangers Jews”.

The statement took particular issue with established Jewish organisations in Europe and North America, expressing strong disapproval of their positions. “We strongly deplore that the established Jewish organisations, which claim to represent Jewish communities in Europe and Northern America, have chosen to maintain their blind support of the Israeli government – despite its horrific war crimes in Gaza and the escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”, the groups declared.

The organisations emphasised that their position is guided by “the long humanist Jewish tradition and the universal lessons from the Shoah”, suggesting that their support for Albanese aligns with fundamental Jewish values and historical experiences. They stressed that a human rights-based approach and strict enforcement of international law, which they say Albanese advocates for, represents “the only path towards safety and stability for all”.