The association Jurists for the Respect of International Law announced on Thursday that it would file a report for “dissemination of false news” before the French courts. This association reacts to comments "fraudulently attributed", according to it, by parliamentarians to the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories.

Published on: 02/12/2026 - 4:37 p.m. Modified on: 02/13/2026 - 10:48 a.m.

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Reply from an association of lawyers concerning Francesca Albanese. The Jurists for Respect for International Law (Jurdi) announced on Thursday February 12 that they would file a report for "dissemination of false news" before the courts after comments "fraudulently" attributed by parliamentarians to the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories.

A group of MPs wrote on Tuesday to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, to denounce "anti-Semitic" remarks by Francesca Albanese who, according to them, "designated Israel as a common enemy of humanity" and to demand that France "work" to ensure that it is "stripped of any UN mandate".

See alsoIsrael “uses the anti-Semitism card”, says UN expert Francesca Albanese

Questioned on Wednesday by one of these deputies, Caroline Yadan (Together!, 8th constituency of French people established outside France), Jean-Noël Barrot asked before Parliament for the resignation of Francesca Albanese for her "outrageous and guilty remarks which target, not the Israeli government whose policy it is permissible to criticize, but Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable".

Berlin also called on Thursday for the resignation of the UN rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories. "Ms. Albanese had already allowed herself many deviations in the past. I condemn her recent statements on Israel. She cannot hold on to her position," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

“Serious attack on the principle of independence of UN mechanisms”

Francesca Albanese denounces “false accusations” and “manipulation” of her comments.

For the Jurdi association, these accusations "constitute a serious attack on the principle of independence of UN mechanisms and raise the question of the dissemination of manifestly inaccurate information by public authorities."

Jurdi affirmed that he had therefore filed "a report with the Paris public prosecutor for facts likely to constitute the offense provided for by law regarding the dissemination of false news, with regard to the comments fraudulently attributed to Ms. Francesca Albanese".

Also read “Israel is the common enemy of humanity”: how this phrase was wrongly attributed to Francesca Albanese

“Such a presentation, emanating from a public authority and relayed within an institutional framework, is likely to constitute a dissemination of false news, in the sense that it attributes to a UN expert comments that she neither made nor supported,” continues Jurdi.

"I have never, ever, ever said 'Israel is the common enemy of humanity'"

Francesca Albanese's remarks "target neither a people nor a nation, but political, economic and legal systems", insists the association.

Parliamentarians and environmental leaders also sent a letter to Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday, asking him to "clarify" his statement and "return to the call for resignation" of Francesca Albanese.

The spokesperson for the Quai d'Orsay underlined Thursday that "France has, on multiple occasions, had the opportunity to be concerned about the positions taken by Madame Albanese in recent years." “It is all of his remarks which make the minister call for his resignation,” affirmed Pascal Confavreux, recalling that if Francesca Albanese’s latest statements are “unacceptable”, the minister had not “quoted this sentence (on a “common enemy”, Editor’s note) in the hemicycle”.

Speaking by videoconference last Saturday during a forum organized in Doha by the Al-Jazeera channel, Francesca Albanese spoke of a "common enemy" who, according to her, allowed a "genocide" in Gaza.

“The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most countries in the world have armed it, provided it with political excuses, a political umbrella, as well as economic and financial support, is a challenge,” she said.

Asked on Wednesday about this controversy by France 24, she replied: "I have never, never, never said 'Israel is the common enemy of humanity'." “I spoke about Israel's crimes, apartheid, genocide and I condemned as the common enemy the system which does not allow us to bring to justice and bring about an end to Israel's crimes,” she added.

With AFP

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