France, Germany, Austria, Czechia and Italy are agreed on demanding that the UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese be removed from her position following a series of statements that brand Israel. It culminated on 7 February when, at a meeting in Doha, she said that humanity has “a common enemy”. That proved too much for Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who received support from European colleagues. But not from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD).

Albanese has sought to explain that it was not intended in the way Barrot and his colleague perceived it:

Barrot has accused Albanese of referring to Israel, something Albanese herself rejects in the strongest terms. She maintains that “the common enemy” is the attacks on international law, and she has also published the statements in order to show that they were misunderstood.

But Barrot has not withdrawn the criticism. Instead, the foreign ministers of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy have joined the demand that Albanese must resign.

The reason is, of course, that Albanese has sharpened her criticism of Israel in a manner indicating that she wishes to see Israel ostracised from respectable company. When she then introduces the concept of “humanity’s enemy”, the cup is full.

But Albanese has support both within and outside the UN:

In an open letter from 150 former diplomats and politicians, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is asked to withdraw “inaccurate” statements about Albanese and to correct them.

They also criticise what they describe as “the use of inaccurate and manipulated elements to bring disrepute upon a person who holds an independent UN mandate”.

– This controversy must not divert attention from the massacres of civilians, nor from the humanitarian crisis and the massive human rights violations taking place in Gaza, they write.

Albanese’s statements do not need to be manipulated in order to bring out the meaning. She has become more and more extreme over the years.

At the weekend, an open letter from more than 100 well-known artists in the group Artists for Palestine was also published, among them musicians, actors and authors alike. Here they express full support for Albanese, according to Al Jazeera.

The Gaza lobby has conducted a campaign for several years that has carried many along with it. Support is particularly strong within academia and cultural life, but not at the grassroots, not among ordinary people. Gaza is an elite phenomenon. The lobbyists have a free pass in the media.

But Albanese goes too far.

Barth Eide will not admit that, and the fact that he will not or cannot see it says something about how far out the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not wished to comment directly to NTB on the conflict surrounding Albanese, but in a written comment State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik (Ap) states that Norway has confidence in the UN’s processes for the appointment of Special Rapporteurs.

– We do not wish to enter into the discussion about individual statements. Norway has confidence in the processes for the UN’s appointments of Special Rapporteurs linked to mandates established by the Human Rights Council. We are concerned with safeguarding the Special Rapporteurs’ independence, writes Kravik.

But it is precisely independent Albanese is not; that is why Foreign Minister Barrot reacted.

There is no doubt about whom she meant as “humanity’s enemy”:

– The fact that, instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has given Israel weapons, political excuses, political protection, economic and financial support – that is a challenge, Albanese said.

She then stated that “international law has been stabbed in the heart” before declaring that humanity now has a common enemy. The quotation reads as follows, as reported by Al Jazeera:

“We now see that we as humanity have a common enemy, and that respect for fundamental freedoms is the last peaceful path, the last peaceful toolbox that we have to regain our freedom.”

Nevertheless, hundreds of UN staff members rally to her defence.

Albanese has also received support from hundreds of UN employees who are members of the group United Staff for Gaza. At the same time, they have expressed regret that in recent times “disinformation and misunderstandings” about her have circulated.

Also Human Rights Watch directs strong criticism at what they call an unreasonable attack on Albanese, which they believe aims to halt criticism of Israel’s “horrific crimes” against the Palestinians and to secure impunity for the abuses and other governments’ complicity in them.

The United States imposed sanctions on her last year. At that time the EU expressed regret. Now heavyweight EU countries have turned against her. That is omitted by NTB. In the autumn, Barth Eide issued a statement showing where the sympathies lie.

– It is problematic if individual countries implement sanctions against UN representatives for carrying out work they do pursuant to a mandate from the UN Human Rights Council. UN Special Rapporteurs have a particularly independent role and enjoy special protection precisely in order to safeguard such independence, said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) at the time.

The UN Human Rights Council meets next Monday. Then France will demand that she be removed.