A week after the US was forced by a court order to lift sanctions, the Trump administration has restored sanctions on a UN special rapporteur over her actions against the US and Israel.By World Israel News StaffThe United States has reimposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, one week after removing her from a Treasury Department blacklist in response to a lower-court order.The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control posted a notice Wednesday adding Albanese back to the Specially Designated Nationals list under an executive order targeting people accused of supporting International Criminal Court actions against US or allied nationals.The move followed an administrative stay issued Friday by a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, allowing the Trump administration to enforce the sanctions while it challenges a lower-court injunction.The appeals court said the stay was procedural and “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits.”Albanese, an Italian lawyer and UN-appointed expert, has been one of the most outspoken international critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. The US sanctioned her in July 2025, accusing her of trying to spur ICC action against US and Israeli officials, companies and executives.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that Albanese had engaged in “illegitimate and shameful efforts” to prompt ICC action against Americans and Israelis. He also accused her of waging “political and economic warfare” against the United States and Israel.The sanctions freeze any US-based assets and generally bar US persons from doing business with her. In practice, the designation can also cut a sanctioned person off from major banking and credit card systems.Earlier this month, US District Judge Richard Leon temporarily blocked the sanctions, finding that the administration likely violated Albanese’s free-speech rights. The lawsuit was brought by Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Cali, on behalf of their minor daughter, who is a US citizen.“Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” Leon wrote. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion.”After that ruling, OFAC removed Albanese from the sanctions list on May 20. The State Department said the removal was only a legal step required by the court order and did not mark a change in policy.“The Government has appealed the court’s order,” the department said last week. “In the event the D.C. Circuit stays or overturns that order, the Government intends to restore Ms. Albanese’s name to the SDN List.”The administration did so after the appeals court stay.Albanese has denied allegations of antisemitism and has said the sanctions were meant to weaken her UN mandate. Her supporters and several rights groups have described the measures as an attack on UN independence and international accountability mechanisms.Critics of Albanese, including Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups, have accused her of anti-Israel bias and of using her position to advance legal campaigns against Israel and its allies.UN Watch, which filed an amicus brief opposing the injunction, welcomed the appeals court’s order.“Today’s ruling is an important victory for accountability and for the principle that no UN official is above the law,” said Hillel Neuer, the group’s executive director.“Francesca Albanese did not merely express opinions. She used her UN mandate to campaign for ICC prosecutions against democratic leaders and American companies,” Neuer said.Israel has repeatedly called for Albanese’s removal from her UN role. Its mission in Geneva said earlier this year that she was “not a promoter of human rights” but “an agent of chaos,” accusing her of advancing “dangerous extremist narratives.”The legal fight now returns to the appeals court, where the administration is seeking to keep the sanctions in force during the broader challenge. The court has not yet ruled on the underlying constitutional arguments.The post US reimposes sanctions on UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese after appeals court stay appeared first on World Israel News.