On Wednesday July 9, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the imposition of sanctions by the United States under a Presidential Executive Order targeting Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine. Her crime? Speaking the truth about the Gaza genocide and those who profit from it.

United Nations representatives of Human Rights Council lost no time in expressing their objections, but of course in the customary UN watered-down sort of way. Meanwhile, on the same day, Wednesday 10, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu left Washington after two days of meetings with Trump and more US protection and support for his country’s genocide against Gaza.

The last straw for the genocidaires was Albanese’s Report published on June 16 that unequivocally exposed their heinous crimes, their accomplices and the heartless greed that motivates them. The Summary sets the scene nicely:

“This report investigates the corporate machinery sustaining Israel’s settler-colonial project of displacement and replacement of the Palestinians in the occupied territory. While political leaders and governments shirk their obligations, far too many corporate entities have profited from Israel’s economy of illegal occupation, apartheid and now, genocide. The complicity exposed by this report is just the tip of the iceberg…”

In this climate of impunity, perhaps the real wonder is that Albanese has not been assassinated yet. She is well aware of the risks and has compared these intimidation tactics to those used by the Mafia, but has made it very clear that she will not be silenced. Still, whether they try to assassinate her or not, one thing is certain: if these demons have their way and manage to silence the truth, sooner or later, every honest person will become a target.