WASHINGTON — The US State Division has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights teams that requested the Worldwide Prison Court docket to research and arrest Israeli leaders over accusations of conflict crimes in Gaza.
Late final yr the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Protection Minister Yoav Gallant, and a now deceased senior Hamas official.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned Thursday the US will sanction the three NGOs – Al Haq, Al Mezan Middle for Human Rights (Al Mezan), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) – for partaking in what he known as the ICC’s “illegitimate concentrating on of Israel.”
The organizations “have immediately engaged in efforts by the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC) to research, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, with out Israel’s consent,” Rubio mentioned in a press release posted to the US Treasury Division’s web site.
The US sanctions come days after the world’s main genocide students mentioned Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the authorized definition of genocide. Israel rejected the accusation, saying it’s primarily based on a “marketing campaign of lies” by Hamas. It has beforehand rejected different accusations it’s finishing up genocide or conflict crimes.
Al Haq, Al Mezan and PCHR slammed the current US sanctions as “immoral, unlawful and undemocratic” in a joint assertion posted to X.
In November 2023, the three teams filed a lawsuit with the ICC asking the prosecutor to research Israel for airstrikes on densely populated areas in Gaza, the siege of the territory, the pressured displacement of its inhabitants, using poisonous fuel and the denial of requirements, together with meals and water.
The organizations additionally urged the ICC to situation arrest warrants for the Israeli leaders concerned in actions they mentioned amounted to “conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity, together with genocide.”
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former protection chief Yoav Gallant for conflict crimes, together with “hunger as a technique of warfare” and crimes towards humanity.
The courtroom additionally issued a warrant for Hamas official Mohammed Deif, who Israel mentioned was one of many masterminds of the October 7 assault. Israel mentioned Deif was killed in an airstrike final yr.
President Donald Trump’s administration has waged a marketing campaign to punish organizations concerned within the ICC’s efforts to research Israel’s conduct within the conflict in Gaza. The White Home has been extremely vital of the Netherlands-based courtroom, which investigates and prosecutes people charged with essentially the most egregious worldwide crimes, below a treaty known as the Rome Statute, to which the US isn’t social gathering.
The US has imposed sanctions on 9 individuals who work for the ICC, together with chief prosecutor Karim Khan. It has additionally instituted a coverage of denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Group partially due to their “lawfare” campaigns on the ICC and the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ).
Rubio mentioned Thursday the US “will proceed to reply with important and tangible penalties to guard our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s disregard for sovereignty, and to punish entities which can be complicit in its overreach.”
Al Haq, Al Mezan Middle, and PCHR condemned the “draconian” sanctions of their joint assertion, which was posted to every of their X accounts.
“Solely states with full disregard to worldwide legislation and our shared humanity can take such heinous measures towards human rights orgs working to finish a genocide,” the organizations mentioned.
“Because the world strikes to impose sanctions and arms embargoes on Israel; its ally, the US is working to destroy Palestinian establishments working tirelessly for accountability for the victims of Israel’s mass atrocity crimes,” the assertion went on.
Israel, like the USA, isn’t a member of the ICC and has challenged the courtroom’s jurisdiction over its actions within the battle – a problem the courtroom rejected on Thursday.
The ICC claims jurisdiction over territories Israel occupies, together with Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Financial institution, following the Palestinian management’s formal settlement to be sure by the courtroom’s founding ideas in 2015.
Amnesty Worldwide known as the US determination to impose sanctions a “deeply troubling and shameful assault on human rights and the worldwide pursuit of justice.”
“These organizations perform important and brave work, meticulously documenting human rights violations below essentially the most horrifying situations,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Analysis, Advocacy, Coverage and Campaigns mentioned in a press release.
“This determination additionally starkly exposes the Trump administration’s deliberate efforts to dismantle the very basis of worldwide justice and protect Israel from accountability for its crimes,” Guevara-Rosas mentioned. — CNN
