Israeli actress files defamation suit against Francesca Albanese over ‘selectively edited’ clip

(Oct. 23, 2026 / JNS)

Israeli actress and model Sarai Givaty has filed a defamation lawsuit against Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur on what the global body considers “occupied” Palestinian areas, accusing her of falsely portraying Givaty as justifying the killing of children and comparing her remarks to arguments used by Nazi officials during the Holocaust.

The suit, filed on Tuesday by the Israeli legal advocacy organization Shurat HaDin, accuses Albanese of sharing a “selectively edited” clip from a 2025 television interview with Givaty.

The complaint alleges that the U.N. official falsely portrayed “Givaty’s warning about extremist indoctrination as justification for killing children” and compared Givaty’s remarks “to Nazi justifications for murdering children during the Holocaust.” Givaty is seeking $160,000 in damages in Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court.

In the 2025 interview, Givaty discussed the need to confront growing extremism following the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

“I feel sad for every child in the world who cries. I do,” Givaty said. “But I also understand that if we don’t act, that child will grow up to be a terrorist.”

According to the lawsuit, the 23-second clip Albanese shared lacked context and included a partial English translation. The suit says the post garnered more than 2 million views and tens of thousands of shares.

Albanese shared the clip on social media last month and wrote, “The children will grow up.” She added, “This was also the argument that Nazi officials gave, during the Nuremberg Trials, to justify why they had killed children during the Holocaust.”

Givaty argues that she was speaking specifically about the dangers of extremist indoctrination among children, not advocating that children be targeted in counterterrorism operations. She says Albanese’s post prompted death threats and damaged her career prospects in Israel and abroad.

“As a mother, I am appalled by this false comparison. One may disagree with my opinions, but one cannot attribute statements to me that I never made, nor portray me to millions of people as someone who justifies the killing of children,” Givaty stated. “I will not remain silent in the face of those who seek to harm the State of Israel and defame it globally.”

Shurat HaDin founder Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said, “We are fighting back against this international campaign of lies.”

“Albanese is waging a vitriolic, antisemitic campaign against Israel and is responsible for spreading yet another libelous fabrication regarding its citizens,” she said.

Albanese has since removed the video clip, but her comments remain online.

Albanese has repeatedly drawn criticism for statements about Israel that critics have described as antisemitic. She has also faced scrutiny over her public remarks about Israel, her professional credentials and questions about travel allegedly funded by pro-Hamas supporters. She has disputed these allegations and criticisms, and they are separate from the claims in Givaty’s lawsuit.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Albanese in July 2025, citing her efforts to prompt the International Criminal Court to pursue action against Israeli and U.S. officials. A federal judge temporarily blocked the measures in May 2026 on free-speech grounds, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later allowed them to be reinstated while the legal challenge proceeds.