Accountability begins at the UN - starting with Francesca Albanese

With the guns finally silent in Gaza and the hostages returning home, a fragile ceasefire opens the door to peace — and to a long-overdue reckoning. 

As the world eyes the next steps, including the implementation of a U.S.-backed peace plan, the United Nations must confront its own role during the two bloody years of war. 

That means cleaning house, starting with those who used their positions not to promote peace, but to peddle propaganda.

At the top of that list is Francesca Albanese, the UN-appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories. Her tenure has been a disgrace. 

Rather than defend universal rights, Albanese has repeatedly echoed the talking points of Hamas, the very group responsible for instigating atrocities and holding civilians hostage. She has not just failed in her mandate — she has actively undermined it.

Let’s be clear: a human rights official who justifies or excuses terror is not fit to serve. Albanese’s record is not one of impartial observation, but of flagrant bias. Her statements have routinely minimized or ignored the crimes of Hamas while painting Israel as the sole aggressor. This is not principled advocacy. This is ideological activism wearing the mask of international legitimacy.

And it is the UN itself — under the leadership of António Guterres — that has allowed this charade to continue.

There are consequences to such moral rot. When the UN speaks through figures like Albanese, it sends a message that terror has defenders in Turtle Bay. 

It tells victims of Hamas that their suffering is negotiable. And it tells rogue actors around the world that the institution supposedly dedicated to peace is no longer neutral — it is compromised.

If the United Nations wants to remain a credible global voice, it must act now. Francesca Albanese should be removed. So should any official who used their platform to distort facts, excuse violence, or trade truth for ideology.

This moment demands moral clarity. It demands accountability — not just for Albanese, but for the leadership that empowered her.

Until then, the UN is not a defender of peace and human rights. It is a stage for those who normalize terror — and a shield for those who desecrate the values it was meant to uphold.

Mr. Guterres, it’s time to show some courage.