A prominent Jewish civil rights group has warned Amazon that selling a forthcoming book by a US-sanctioned United Nations official could violate federal sanctions law, and has urged the company to halt related transactions.
Mark Goldfeder, head of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, said on X that his organization notified the retail giant that Francesca Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer, is barred from receiving payments or other economic benefits.
Albanese is the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories who sparked a furor after accusing Israel of genocide, apartheid and settler colonialism in UN reports and public statements — claims that Israel and the US have rejected as false and antisemitic.
She is also the author of “When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine,” a collection of essays and personal reflections on Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The hardcover, scheduled for release in April, is currently listed as a bestseller in the human rights category on Amazon’s website.
“Today we issued notice to Amazon and others about potential sanctions-violations connected to @FranceskAlbs new book,” Goldfeder wrote on X earlier this week.
The US sanctioned Albanese in July, with officials alleging she improperly coordinated with the International Criminal Court and engaged in political and economic warfare against the US and Israel.
Goldfeder argues that Albanese’s designation as a Specially Designated National means all of her property and interests in property are blocked, barring US companies from transferring funds or providing services to her without authorization from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
“Under federal law, property and interests of Specially Designated Nationals are blocked and may not be transferred or paid out without specific authorization,” he wrote Monday.
In his legal notice to Amazon and other distributors, Goldfeder warned that the company’s platform “promotes and sells Ms. Francesca Albanese’s publications, directly enhancing her revenue and conferring a financial benefit,” which he said falls outside protections for informational materials and could expose the retailer to civil penalties under US sanctions law.
Goldfeder rejected allegations of censorship, saying the issue is not the book’s content but whether US companies may legally conduct business with a sanctioned individual.
Goldfeder told The Post on Thursday that he plans to share a sample of the legal notices his group sent to publishers and distributors and stressed that the effort is not intended to suppress speech.
He said his organization “certainly believe[s] in free speech” and is “not at all trying to ban the book,” but wants companies to understand how payments tied to the volume should be handled under sanctions law.
“She can say whatever she wants but as a sanctioned person, she can’t get paid for it,” Goldfeder said, adding that his group hopes sales continue so that proceeds can be placed in escrow.
He said the funds could ultimately be transferred to his clients if they prevail in a defamation lawsuit his organization has filed against Albanese.
In September, the National Jewish Advocacy Center sued Albanese in Colorado federal court on behalf of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel USA.
They accused Albanese of falsely branding the groups as complicit in genocide and war crimes in a 2025 report circulated after her UN role ended, harming their reputations, endangering supporters and threatening their charitable work.
The suit seeks damages as well as a retraction and an order barring her from repeating the claims. It noted Albanese has claimed immunity as a UN official, but the plaintiffs argue that she made the defamatory remarks outside of her official duties.
Albanese brushed off the latest legal threat, writing on X that the controversy amounted to “more free ads” for her book and denouncing what she called “the pro-Israel minions” behind the effort.
Albanese has faced mounting professional fallout in the US.
She was recently dropped by Georgetown University, which removed her from its list of affiliated scholars and deleted her profile from the university’s website following the imposition of US sanctions.
Georgetown has not publicly explained the decision, though Albanese has said the move was a direct consequence of the sanctions rather than criticism of her past statements.
The Post has sought comment from Amazon, Albanese and Georgetown.
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