Barclays and BP are hardly strangers to criticism. But even those UK PLC heavyweights must have been taken aback when last week – along with the likes of Google, Amazon and educational institutions such as the the University of Edinburgh – they were accused by the United Nations of exploiting an “economy of genocide” by maintaining ties with Israel.

HuffPost first reported the planned move against Francesca Albanese that comes amid a Washington visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, condemned the Trump administration for imposing sanctions against her. She went on to describe the move as a ‘sign of guilt’.

The sanctioning of the UN expert is a culmination of a nearly six-month campaign by the Trump administration to quell criticism of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza.

In recent months, Albanese has made strong statements against Israel's actions in Gaza. She accused Israel of launching a "genocidal campaign" in Gaza, and criticised the US for supporting Israel.