Two American Christian charities have taken a stand for truth and common sense by suing Francesca Albanese, the former U.N. special rapporteur on Palestinian territories, for defamation, trade libel, and tortious interference after she publicly accused them of enabling “genocide” through their support of Israel. The lawsuit, filed by the National Jewish Advocacy Center on behalf of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel USA, alleges a coordinated smear campaign that harmed donors, staff, and the ministries’ reputations.
Albanese’s public report and a string of letters accused U.S. charities and corporate partners of aiding alleged war crimes and even called for blacklisting and prosecution — charges the plaintiffs call baseless and dangerous. These were not private criticisms but a public pressure campaign that weaponized an international platform against faith-based Americans doing charitable work in Israel.
This lawsuit is more than a legal fight; it’s a necessary pushback against the modern international grievance industry that uses “lawfare” to intimidate and silence pro-Israel Americans. Even the U.S. Justice Department’s task force and other authorities raised alarms about Albanese’s conduct and its chilling effect on free association and religious giving. Holding powerful international actors accountable at home is exactly what defenders of liberty should applaud.
Conservative legal minds, including Eugene Kontorovich of the Heritage Foundation and George Mason University, are advising the plaintiffs, bringing seasoned expertise to a case that exposes how international bureaucrats can overreach when unchecked. This is not some partisan spat but a test of whether American citizens — especially religious charities — can be smeared and economically punished by foreign officials hiding behind diplomatic robes. Americans deserve a justice system that protects free speech and charitable action, not one that cowers before U.N. grandstanding.
The broader pattern is obvious: left-leaning institutions and self-appointed global arbiters increasingly use courts, media, and international postings to pursue political vendettas, a tactic the left even boasts about under names like “lawfare.” Conservatives who cherish free religion, free association, and a strong U.S.-Israel alliance should recognize this lawsuit as part of a necessary cultural defense.
Patriotic Americans must stand with these ministries, not bow to the bullying of international bureaucrats who would brand charity as crime when it supports a friend and ally. If conservatives want to protect civil society and keep religious charities safe from smear campaigns, we must support legal accountability, demand that our government defend its citizens, and refuse to let the United Nations become a forum for ideological persecution.
