US sanctions Palestinian rights groups that pushed ICC case against 'Israel'

The United States has announced sanctions against three Palestinian human rights organizations that urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue charges of genocide against 'Israel' over its war on Gaza. The designations were published Thursday on the Treasury Department’s website.

The targeted groups include the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, both based in Gaza, along with Al-Haq, headquartered in Ramallah. Washington said the measures fall under what it described as “International Criminal Court-related designations.”

In November 2023, these organizations submitted requests to the ICC to investigate Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) actions in Gaza, including the bombing of civilian neighborhoods, the blockade of the enclave, and the mass displacement of its population. One year later, the court issued arrest warrants for 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The move by Washington comes against a backdrop of longstanding US opposition to the ICC. During Donald Trump’s presidency, sanctions were also imposed on ICC judges and its chief prosecutor after the court pursued cases against both 'Israel' and American forces accused of war crimes in Afghanistan.

The ICC, created in 2002, investigates genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in its 125 member states. However, several major powers, including the United States, 'Israel', Russia, and China, do not recognize its jurisdiction.

The timing of the latest sanctions is striking: only days earlier, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the largest academic body on the subject, passed a resolution declaring that 'Israel’s' campaign in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide.

'Israel' dismissed that resolution as “disgraceful and entirely based on Hamas' campaign of lies.”