‘Unhinged’: Israel, Irish Jews slam comments by UN’s Albanese to Ireland’s parliament

A group representing Irish Jews and Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Friday separately condemned the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, for inflammatory remarks she made this week to the Irish parliament.

Albanese has a history of antisemitism and regularly makes extremist comments about Israel and Jews, while she says she is a champion for Palestinian rights and an opponent of discrimination.

Albanese told the Irish parliament’s Committee on European Affairs this week, “Israel has always killed children, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, the use of torture, even rape.”

0:00 / 0:00

Promoted: American Technion Society

“It’s destroying the people, the living. You know it when you read the testimonies of people who have been tortured, have been raped, raped by dogs trained in European countries,” she said, apparently referencing allegations made in a New York Times column earlier this year, which Israel unequivocally rejected as “blood libel.”

“European people are profiting from selling dogs that will rape people. This is abysmal, and instead of having a system using our rule of law to prevent this, there are people who are in jail for denouncing the system,” she claimed.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

Albanese did not offer any source or evidence for the allegations.

She demanded that the Irish government “show its spine” in opposition to Israel.

In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Albanese was “an unhinged conspiracy theorist consumed by her obsessive hatred of Israel.”

“Her vile lies and grotesque accusations are a disgrace to the UN,” it said.

The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland also condemned Albanese and the Irish parliament, known as the Oireachtas, for hosting her.

“She dismissed documented antisemitism against Irish Jews on national radio, then appeared before an Oireachtas committee making a series of outrageous, unsubstantiated allegations,” the council said.

“Not one demand for evidence. Not one challenge to her most shocking claims. Instead, she got praise, admiration and smiling photographs,” the statement said.

Hillel Neuer, the head of the pro-Israel watchdog group UN Watch, said in a statement directed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “You allowed this barking mad lunatic and her friends to bring the United Nations into disrepute.”

The Irish foreign minister, Helen McEntee, meanwhile, hailed her meeting with Albanese, saying, “Ireland will not forget about Palestine and will continue to stand up for the UN.”

Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military campaign against terror groups in Gaza in the wake of the deadly October 2023 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel that triggered the war.

Dublin recognized a Palestinian state in 2024. Soon after, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, blaming Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies” and spiking antisemitism.

The country has pushed for sanctions and boycotts of Israel. Earlier this month, the Irish soccer team took a series of steps to protest having to play against Israel, including bowing their heads at the Israeli anthem and refusing to shake hands with the Israeli players.

Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks

LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.

Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;

Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.

As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.

CHOOSE YOUR BOOK CHOOSE YOUR BOOK Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this