US Adds Palestinian Human Rights Groups to Sanctions List Over ICC Evidence Submission

The United States has added three leading Palestinian rights organizations—Al-Haq, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights—to its sanctions list. The move, announced by the Department of the Treasury, places these groups on the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,” restricting their financial activities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the groups were sanctioned for “directly engaging in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent.” The Trump administration had previously taken similar steps, imposing sanctions on the ICC when arrest warrants were issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant regarding alleged war crimes in Gaza.

All three organizations had provided evidence of Israeli abuses to the ICC for its ongoing probes. Rubio emphasized that the US would continue to respond with “significant and tangible consequences” to protect its allies from what it views as ICC overreach, and to penalize entities complicit in these judiciary efforts.

Al-Haq, based in Ramallah, has been a major force in seeking accountability for Israeli abuses both in the occupied Palestinian territories and internationally. The Gaza City-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights have been instrumental in documenting alleged war crimes during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

In a joint statement, the three groups strongly condemned what they called “draconian sanctions” by the US government. They described the measures as “cowardly, immoral, illegal and undemocratic,” especially in the midst of violence against Palestinians, and warned that only states disregarding international law and shared humanity would target rights organizations striving to end genocide.