Israeli Actress Sues UN Envoy for $130,000 Over Defamation
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Israeli actress Shari Givaty is suing UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for $130,000 in damages, alleging defamation. Givaty claims Albanese falsely portrayed her as justifying the killing of children in Gaza and compared her to Nazis in a social media post. The lawsuit stems from a September 2025 interview where Givaty discussed radicalization and potential future terrorists. Albanese's post, shared in September 2023, went viral and allegedly led to threats against Givaty's life.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli actress Shari Givaty is suing UN envoy Francesca Albanese for $130,000 over defamation.
- Givaty alleges Albanese falsely claimed she justified killing children and compared her to Nazis.
- The lawsuit concerns a clip from a September 2025 interview Givaty gave to i24NEWS.
- Albanese shared the clip on X in September 2023, sparking widespread controversy.
- Givaty states the post caused reputational damage and led to death threats.
- Albanese is expected to claim diplomatic immunity and challenge Israeli court jurisdiction.
Israeli actress and model Shari Givaty has filed a defamation lawsuit seeking half a million shekels (approximately $130,000) against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories. The lawsuit, filed in Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, alleges that Albanese distorted Givaty's words and took them out of context in a social media post, falsely portraying her as justifying the killing of children in Gaza. Givaty claims Albanese compared her statements to those used by Nazis to justify killing children during the Holocaust.
The case stems from a September 2025 interview Givaty gave to i24NEWS, where she discussed her evolving worldview after the October 7th Hamas attacks and her role as an Israeli advocate. In the interview, Givaty spoke about extreme Islam and extremism within Israeli politics, stating that while she is saddened by crying children, she understands that without action, those children might grow up to be terrorists. She also expressed concern about the perception of Israelis abroad post-war.
According to the lawsuit, Albanese shared a 23-second clip of the interview on X (formerly Twitter) in September 2023, with a partial English translation and without full context. Albanese captioned the post, "The children will grow up. This was also the argument used by senior Nazis during the Nuremberg trials to justify why they killed children during the Holocaust." The post garnered over two million views.
Givaty, represented by the legal organization Shurat HaDin and attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, asserts that her words were twisted and that she never justified harming children. The lawsuit argues that Albanese's post is false, damaging to Givaty's reputation, and has led to threats against her life. Givaty stated, "As a mother, I am horrified by the false comparison. You can disagree with my opinions, but you cannot attribute things to me that I never said and present me to millions as someone who justifies killing children."
Shurat HaDin believes Israeli courts have jurisdiction because the post is global and the damage occurred in Israel. Albanese has not yet responded, but is expected to argue lack of jurisdiction and claim diplomatic immunity.
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