US sanctions Palestinian rights groups over ICC case against 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 04:39
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The United States imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organizations that petitioned the ICC to investigate Israel for genocide in Gaza, intensifying tensions over international accountability.

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The Treasury Department building is seen, March 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

The United States has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organizations that petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate "Israel" for genocide in Gaza. The move was announced Thursday in a notice posted by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, along with the Ramallah-based Al-Haq, were added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List under what OFAC described as “ICC-related designations.”

According to OFAC, the sanctions fall under Executive Order 14203 and include General License 10, authorizing the wind-down of transactions involving the three groups.

Groups behind ICC Genocide petition

The three NGOs jointly submitted evidence to the ICC in November 2023, urging an investigation into "Israel’s" air strikes on Gaza’s civilian population, the siege of the territory, and mass displacement.

One year later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and Resistance leaders.

To date, official documentation shows that Israeli occupation forces have killed 64,231 Palestinians and inflicted injuries on an additional 161,583, since October 7, 2023. Moreover, residents of the Gaza Strip continue to face constant displacement and an unprecedented famine, imposed on the civilian population by the Israeli regime.

US history of confrontation with the ICC

This is not the first time Washington has targeted actors linked to the ICC. Under President Donald Trump, the US sanctioned ICC judges and its chief prosecutor after the Court authorized investigations into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and into Israeli war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It is worth noting that the US, along with "Israel", Russia, and China, does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, despite the Court being supported by 125 member states. Nonetheless, the ICC’s authority in Gaza remains valid, as the Palestinian Authority is a signatory to the Rome Statute, granting the Court jurisdiction over crimes committed within the territory.