UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese to Join U.S.-Sanctioned PCPA Official on Italy Panel
Treasury sanctioned Saif Abukeshek in May for serving on the PCPA’s General Secretariat. The U.S. says Hamas funded, directs and clandestinely controls the organization
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United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese is scheduled to appear by video on Sunday, August 16, alongside Saif Abukeshek, a U.S.-sanctioned member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, known as the PCPA, which the Treasury Department identifies as a Hamas-controlled organization.
The discussion, titled “Palestine: Three Years of Genocide, 78 Years of Occupation,” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Libreria del Gatto Nero during the 34th Radio Onda d’Urto Festival in Brescia, Italy.
According to the festival’s official announcement, Albanese will participate by video while Abukeshek will attend in person. The panel will also include Italian-Palestinian activist Fabian Odeh and members of the Palestine Coordination Center in Brescia.
Treasury Identifies Abukeshek as PCPA Leader
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Abukeshek on May 19, 2026 under Executive Order 13224, the principal U.S. counterterrorism sanctions authority.
Treasury identified him as a Spain-based member of the PCPA’s General Secretariat and a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s steering committee. OFAC designated him for serving as a leader or official of the PCPA, placing him on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
The official sanctions entry lists Abukeshek as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist linked to the PCPA. His property and financial interests under U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, while U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting transactions involving him.
Treasury had already designated the PCPA in January 2026, stating that the organization is owned, controlled or directed by Hamas, or acts on the terrorist group’s behalf.
Israeli Documents Place Abukeshek Within PCPA Network
The Israeli Foreign Ministry previously released what it described as documents recovered from a Hamas position in Gaza. One document listed Abukeshek, whose name has several English transliterations, as a Spain-based PCPA operative.
A separate document was a 2021 letter signed by then-Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh endorsing cooperation with the PCPA. Israel designated the organization as a terrorist entity in 2021 and describes it as Hamas’s representative body outside the Palestinian territories.
The Foreign Ministry also identified Abukeshek as the chief executive of Cyber Neptune, a Spanish company it alleged was used to control vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Albanese Also Appears on U.S. Sanctions List
Albanese has served since May 2022 as the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories. She is also currently included on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list, although under a separate authority from the counterterrorism measures imposed on Abukeshek.
The United States first designated Albanese in July 2025, accusing her of working with the International Criminal Court to pursue investigations and potential prosecutions involving American and Israeli nationals. After briefly removing her during litigation over the measures, OFAC reinstated Albanese on the Specially Designated Nationals list on May 27, 2026.
U.S.-Sanctioned PCPA Official Continues Operating Openly in Europe
Abukeshek’s scheduled appearance in Brescia comes less than three months after the United States designated him under counterterrorism authorities. His continued role as a Global Sumud Flotilla spokesman and his inclusion on a panel with a UN-appointed expert demonstrate his ability to operate openly in Europe despite the U.S. findings.
The appearance warrants further scrutiny of whether festival organizers reviewed his sanctions status and how Italian and European authorities assess officials of organizations the U.S. Treasury identifies as controlled by Hamas. It also raises potential compliance questions for financial institutions or service providers involved in transactions benefiting a U.S.-designated individual.