Israeli Actress Sherri Givati Sues UN Rapporteur Albanese for Defamation
Israeli actress Sherri Givati has filed a 500,000-shekel defamation lawsuit against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese over a social media post comparing Givati's interview remarks to Nazi justifications for killing children.
Israeli actress and model Sherri Givati filed a defamation lawsuit on Tuesday seeking half a million shekels at the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court against Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. Represented by the Shurat HaDin organization and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Givati claims that Albanese distorted her remarks from an interview, taking them out of context and falsely portraying her as justifying the killing of children in Gaza by comparing her arguments to those used by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
The controversy stems from an interview Givati gave in September 2025 to i24News, where she discussed her shift in perspective following the October 7 massacre, her advocacy work, and the polarization of political discourse. During the exchange, when asked if Israel's actions complicate its standing, Givati responded that while she feels sorrow for any crying child globally, she understands that unaddressed threats can grow into extremism. A 23-second clipped excerpt of this interview later circulated widely on social media.
On September 19, Albanese shared the edited clip on X, writing that the children will grow up was an argument also presented by Nazi officials during the Nuremberg trials to justify killing children during the Holocaust. The post garnered over two million views, tens of thousands of shares, and widespread backlash. Givati argues in the lawsuit that the false publication severely damaged her reputation, endangered her personal security, and subjected her to numerous death threats and hateful messages that threaten her international professional career.
Givati stated that as a mother, she is appalled by the false comparison, emphasizing that while people may disagree with her political views, fabricating statements and branding her as an advocate for child murder is unacceptable. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner added that the lawsuit aims to hold Albanese accountable for her relentless campaign against Israel, challenging any assertions of diplomatic immunity in domestic courts given the global nature of social media defamation and the localized harm suffered in Israel.
