A growing World Bank anti-Israel scandal is shaking global institutions after senior economist Massimiliano Cali, husband of sanctioned U.N. Palestinian rights envoy Francesca Albanese, accused Israel of “genocide” during a July forum at the Italian Parliament. Cali declared, “Italians despise genocide and do not want to participate in this genocide,” blasting Italy’s leaders for “explicitly supporting” Israel.
Albanese, sanctioned by the Trump administration for “virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism,” who defended Hamas terrorists as a legitimate “political force,” appeared stunned as her husband leveled his accusations. The outburst was not an isolated incident. UN Watch revealed that Cali has posted more than 70 anti-Israel messages on social media, including calling Israel a “settler-colonial, apartheid project” and labeling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “mass murderer” who should face the International Criminal Court.
UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said Cali’s behavior “was no accidental outburst, but a deliberate, sustained act of partisan political lobbying.” Neuer warned that a World Bank official lending “institutional credibility” to such rhetoric violates the organization’s rules requiring neutrality. The watchdog group is demanding Cali’s dismissal.
Cali defended his speech, insisting, “Yes, I was angry with the government,” and urging recognition of a Palestinian state and suspension of Israel’s agreements with the European Union. The World Bank responded by reaffirming its “zero tolerance for racism and discrimination in all forms, including antisemitism,” and confirmed it is reviewing disciplinary action.
As Neuer concluded, “Attending a partisan event, delivering inflammatory remarks against a member state, and then reiterating them in the press, is a direct and egregious violation of this rule.”
