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

Israel's Foreign Ministry and a group representing Irish Jews condemned UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese for remarks to the Irish parliament, where she accused Israel of killing children, torture, and rape, and claimed European countries profit from selling dogs trained to rape people. Israel called her an 'unhinged conspiracy theorist.'

A group representing Irish Jews and Israel's Foreign Ministry on Friday separately condemned UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese for inflammatory remarks she made to the Irish parliament this week. Albanese told the parliament's Committee on European Affairs that 'Israel has always killed children, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, the use of torture, even rape.' She also claimed that 'European people are profiting from selling dogs that will rape people,' referencing allegations from a New York Times column that Israel rejected as 'blood libel.' Albanese did not provide sources for her claims. Israel's Foreign Ministry called her 'an unhinged conspiracy theorist consumed by her obsessive hatred of Israel.' The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland condemned the parliament for hosting her, saying she made 'outrageous, unsubstantiated allegations' and received praise instead of scrutiny. Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee praised her meeting with Albanese, saying 'Ireland will not forget about Palestine.' Ireland has been a vocal critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and recognized a Palestinian state in 2024.