On Norway’s TV 12 News, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer sounded the alarm on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese after she praised Hamas as a “political force” and lied about pro-Hamas groups funding her travels.
The UN itself later confirmed that she concealed outside funding - including from groups that glorified Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 massacre.
UN Watch is calling on the UN Secretary-General and member states to condemn her statements and take action.
Norway's TV 12 News exposes UN’s Francesca Albanese:
Praised Hamas as a “political force” that creates “schools, hospitals, infrastructure”
UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer calls it out on air:
pic.twitter.com/uB94T6Oc2r
- UN Watch (@UNWatch) August 24, 2025
Full transcript:
Norway’s TV 12 News: Statements by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese evoke strong reactions in Israel, where many react with disbelief to her words of praise for Hamas. Welcome to TV12 News.
We begin with the news that UN Watch has raised the alarm after UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese in a public event in Sicily praised Hamas and described the organization as a legitimate “political force” that has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure. UN Watch demands that member states condemn the statements and calls on the UN Secretary-General and the human rights chief to respond.
Francesca Albanese (pre-recorded video): But Hamas, Hamas, Hamas…
Hillel Neuer: Francesca Albanese lied and covered up the fact that her visit to Australia which was a lobbying trip to Australia and New Zealand was funded in part by pro Hamas groups. We sounded the alarm after her trip in November 2023. She denied it. She said she was funded only by the UN and yet in March 2025 a UN committee that investigated our complaint found that in the she had been funded by “external groups” for her travel in Australia and New Zealand.
One of these groups was the Australian Friends of Palestine which openly praised Yahya Sinwar the mastermind in the October 7 massacre praising his “moving will and testament.” So Francesca Albanese was funded by pro-Hamas groups outside the UN.
She lied about it and covered it up for 16 months. Every time, she said: “No, no, the UN paid for it, nobody else…” and the UN committee on March 28th confirmed that it was funded by external groups. We know the groups: the Australian Friends of Palestine was one of them.
