Legal Notice Sent to Amazon Over Controversial Author Allegedly Banned in America

Jewish Advocacy Group Warns Amazon Over Book by US-Sanctioned Author Francesca Albanese.

Amazon has been served a legal notice by the National Jewish Advocacy Center over the sale of a forthcoming book by Francesca Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer and UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories. The group warned that listing the book could violate US federal sanctions law.

Mark Goldfeder, head of the advocacy center, said on Twitter that Albanese is a Specially Designated National (SDN) under US sanctions, meaning she is prohibited from receiving payments or economic benefits in the United States. The hardcover, set for release in April, is reportedly already a bestseller in Amazon’s human rights category.

Sanctions and Legal Risks
Albanese was sanctioned by the US in July 2025 for allegedly coordinating with the International Criminal Court and engaging in political and economic actions against the US and Israel. Goldfeder stressed that the issue is legal compliance, not content censorship, noting that selling her book could generate revenue for her, which is prohibited under federal law.

In the notice, the advocacy center cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA). Under these laws, property and interests of SDNs are blocked and may not be transferred, sold, or otherwise disposed of without specific approval from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Violations can result in civil and criminal penalties, including administrative enforcement.

About Francesca Albanese
Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, has drawn controversy for accusing Israel of genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism—a claim rejected by both Israel and the US as false and antisemitic. She is also the author of When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine, a collection of essays and reflections on Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza.

Goldfeder warned that any transactions with Albanese, including royalties, advances, deferred payments, or indirect financial facilitation, would violate US sanctions law without OFAC authorization.