President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday in Washington. (AP photo)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration has announced it’s issuing sanctions against an independent investigator tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the United States to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza.

The State Department’s decision to impose sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, follows an unsuccessful U.S. pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post. It also comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington this week to meet with President Donald Trump and other officials about the war in Gaza and more.

It’s unclear what the practical effect the sanctions will have and whether the independent investigator will be able to travel to the U.S. with diplomatic paperwork.

State Department move to sanction independent UN investigator on Gaza gets mixed response

Outside groups who’d been criticizing Francesca Albanese celebrated what they called a long-awaited move, while advocates for the end of the war in Gaza condemned the action.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of the nongovernmental watchdog UN Watch, had been pushing for years for Albanese to be removed from her post, accusing her of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. He called it “a bold and courageous move” by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was unprecedented.

“Then again, no UN official has ever been condemned for Holocaust distortion and antisemitism by France, Germany, Canada, and both Democratic and Republican US administrations,” he said in a statement.

But Muslim and human rights organizations blasted the effort as an attack on free speech and against an independent investigator.

“These sanctions reflect a dangerous attempt to silence international accountability for human rights abuses and war crimes. This is a blatant attempt to intimidate human rights officials who dare to speak the truth about Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement.

Rubio says pause in Ukraine weapons deliveries has been ‘mischaracterized’

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a brief pause in some weapons deliveries to Ukraine was part of a temporary pending review of certain munitions left in America’s stockpiles.

Speaking to reporters after a Southeast Asian regional security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Rubio said the pause was “mischaracterized” as a withdrawal of U.S. support for Ukraine.

“That decision unfortunately was mischaracterized,” he said. “It was a pause pending review on a handful of specific type munitions that frankly is something that is logical that you would do, especially after an extended engagement that we saw both in defense of Israel and in defense of our own bases.”

Rubio says the US and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks

It comes after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday.

“I think it’s a new and a different approach,” Rubio told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that, you know, that I’ll take back to the president.”

He didn’t elaborate.

Rubio said President Trump has been “disappointed and frustrated” that there’s not been more flexibility from Russia to end the conflict. “We hope that can change … and we’re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds talks with Russia’s Lavrov as Ukraine tensions soar

They met Thursday in Malaysia as tensions between the countries rise over Moscow’s increasing attacks on Ukraine and whether Russia’s leader is serious about a peace deal.

Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the U.S.

The meeting lasted around 50 minutes. Rubio was seen winking at Lavrov afterward as reporters shouted questions, which they both ignored.

The meeting was their second encounter since Rubio took office, although they’ve spoken by phone several times.

US weapons deliveries to Ukraine will not stall peace talks, Kremlin says

The Kremlin insisted Thursday that the resumption of weapons deliveries between the United States and Ukraine and harsher rhetoric from Trump would not stall peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

“We are still waiting for a signal from Kyiv’s representatives as to their desire or unwillingness to enter into a third round of direct negotiations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “We have always said that we would prefer to use peaceful political and diplomatic means. But until this happens, the military operation continues,” Peskov said, using the Kremlin’s euphemism for the invasion of Ukraine.