United States imposes financial penalties on Palestinian advocacy organizations that sought legal action from the International Court for allegations of war crimes perpetrated by Israel
In a move that has sparked international controversy, the US State Department has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights groups: Al Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al Mezan), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). The sanctions were imposed due to the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s "illegitimate targeting of Israel," according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The decision has been met with strong criticism from human rights organisations around the world. Amnesty International called the US action a "deeply troubling and shameful assault on human rights and the global pursuit of justice." The organisations Al Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR, in a joint statement, condemned the "draconian" sanctions as immoral, illegal, and undemocratic.
The controversy stems from the ICC's jurisdiction over territories Israel occupies, including Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. This jurisdiction was established following the Palestinian leadership's formal agreement to be bound by the court's founding principles in 2015. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for several high-profile individuals, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a now deceased senior Hamas official, Mohammed Deif.
The warrants, issued in November 2024, accuse Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes, including "starvation as a method of warfare" and crimes against humanity. The organisations Al Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR, in a lawsuit filed with the ICC in November 2023, urged the prosecutor to investigate Israel for airstrikes on densely populated areas in Gaza, the siege of the territory, the forced displacement of its population, the use of toxic gas, and the denial of necessities, including food and water.
Israel, like the United States, is not a member of the ICC and has challenged the court's jurisdiction over its actions in the conflict. The Israeli government has rejected accusations that its actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.
The US Trump administration has also imposed sanctions on nine people who work for the ICC, including chief prosecutor Karim Khan. This move has been widely criticised as an attempt to undermine the ICC's ability to hold powerful nations accountable for human rights abuses.
The Palestinian human rights organisations, which faced US sanctions in 2022, are represented in the United States by legal teams or organisations. However, the specific names of these law firms or organisations are not publicly available.
The sanctions have sparked a call for action from the human rights organisations. They have urged the ICC to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli leaders involved in actions they say amounted to "war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide." The organisations also criticised the US for working to destroy Palestinian institutions seeking accountability for the victims of Israel's mass atrocity crimes while other countries move to impose sanctions and arms embargoes on Israel.
The US policy of denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization due to their "lawfare" campaigns at the ICC and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has further fueled the international outcry.
The situation remains a complex and contentious issue, with both the US and Israel arguing for sovereignty and self-defence, and human rights organisations calling for accountability and justice. The future of these organisations, and the future of the ICC's investigations into the actions of Israel, remains uncertain.
Read also:
- "Father, battling illness, laments the loss of compassion as he learns that support for his autistic son in school will no longer be provided"
- Voting location now active for citizens to cast their ballots.
- Federal clash in California: two legal cases could potentially align, as a notice is published in the Federal Register
- "Local Democrats in the Bronx offering support for Zohran"
