---
title: "US Lifts Sanctions on Francesca Albanese | Model Diplomat"
description: "The US has lifted sanctions on UN expert Francesca Albanese, but a broader pressure campaign over her Israel criticism and free-speech fight continues unabated."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-amid-ongoing-pressure"
---

# US Lifts Sanctions on Francesca Albanese

Washington's sanctions on Albanese lifted after court ruling.

Model DiplomatMay 22, 20263 min readNorth America

[France 24Moyen-Orient en direct : Washington lève les sanctions contre la rapporteure de l'ONU sur Gaza - France 24](https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260521-moyen-orient-en-direct-iran-donald-trump-gaza-liban-etats-unis)[DirectsProjet de resolution a lonu alors que rafah subit des bombardements persistants dans le conflit israel hamas 29809](https://www.directs.fr/projet-de-resolution-a-lonu-alors-que-rafah-subit-des-bombardements-persistants-dans-le-conflit-israel-hamas-29809)[Alvinet70418355](https://www.alvinet.com/similaires/direct-guerre-au-moyen-orient-cinquieme-jour-de-l-operation-fureur-epique-lancee-par-israel-et-les-etats-unis-contre-l-iran-suivez-la-situation-en-direct/70418355)

## US Lifts Albanese Sanctions, But the Pressure Campaign Stays

*Washington removed sanctions on Francesca Albanese after a court ruling, but the Trump team says it will try to put them back.*

Washington has **backed down tactically, not strategically**. The U.S. Treasury said Wednesday it was lifting sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, after a federal judge blocked the penalties last week, according to [France 24](https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260521-moyen-orient-en-direct-iran-donald-trump-gaza-liban-etats-unis "france24.com") and [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com"). Treasury’s move followed U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s finding that the sanctions raised free-speech concerns, and the State Department has since said it appealed the order and intends to restore Albanese’s name to the sanctions list if it wins, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") reported.

## A court ruling forced Washington’s hand

The practical effect matters more than the announcement language. Albanese had been cut off from normal banking and credit-card use after being placed on a blacklist tied to ICC-related designations, [France 24](https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260521-moyen-orient-en-direct-iran-donald-trump-gaza-liban-etats-unis "france24.com") reported. Leon’s ruling, cited by [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com"), said the government was targeting Albanese for the “idea or message expressed” in her speech, not for conduct that changed the ICC’s actions.

That gives the episode a clear power dynamic: **the White House still wants sanctions as a political weapon**, but a U.S. court temporarily took that weapon away. Albanese’s legal challenge, backed by her husband and daughter, turned a sanctions case into a First Amendment fight inside the U.S. system, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") reported. For broader context on how this fits into Washington’s domestic and foreign policy posture, see [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/usa "modeldiplomat.com") and [Global Politics](https://modeldiplomat.com/discover/general "modeldiplomat.com").

## Washington is signaling to critics of Israel

This is not an isolated case. The Trump administration sanctioned Albanese in July 2025 after she published a report accusing major companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon, of complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") reported. It has also sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors over the court’s moves against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") and [France 24](https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260521-moyen-orient-en-direct-iran-donald-trump-gaza-liban-etats-unis "france24.com") reported.

The beneficiary is obvious: **Israel’s government gets cover** as Washington tries to chill legal, diplomatic and advocacy pressure around Gaza. The loser is not just Albanese. It is the larger ecosystem of UN investigators, ICC officials and Palestine-focused activists who now have to factor in U.S. financial retaliation for crossing political red lines, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") reported.

The timing also matters. France 24’s live blog paired the sanctions reversal with Trump saying the Iran file was “on the wire” between a deal and renewed hostilities, and with U.S. forces seizing an Iranian tanker in the Gulf of Oman the day before, [France 24](https://www.france24.com/fr/moyen-orient/20260521-moyen-orient-en-direct-iran-donald-trump-gaza-liban-etats-unis "france24.com") reported. That wider backdrop reinforces the same pattern: Washington is using financial coercion across the Middle East file to shape behavior, not merely to punish.

## What to watch next

The next decision point is the **DC Circuit appeal**. If the appeals court stays or overturns Leon’s injunction, the Treasury can move to restore the sanctions, [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/21/us-lifts-sanctions-on-francesca-albanese-un-expert-on-palestinian-rights "aljazeera.com") said. If it does not, the administration will have to decide whether to keep fighting in court or accept a public defeat on a case that has become a test of how far the U.S. can go in penalizing speech tied to Gaza.

[Sanctions](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/sanctions)[Francesca Albanese](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/francesca-albanese)[US Politics](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/us-politics)[Middle East](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/middle-east)[Free Speech](https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/free-speech)

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