WP: Trump escalates fight with ICC via sanctions on Palestinian NGOs
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The Trump administration sanctioned three Palestinian human rights groups working with the International Criminal Court, a move analysts warn could hinder war crimes investigations into "Israel’s" actions in Gaza.
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A general view of the exterior of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)
The Trump administration has expanded its confrontation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by sanctioning three Palestinian human rights organizations that have called for investigations into "Israel’s" crimes in Gaza. According to The Washington Post, analysts and legal experts warn that the measures could obstruct efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for alleged war crimes.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and al-Haq. The designations prohibit US entities from conducting business with the organizations, while third parties such as banks and service providers have one month to terminate dealings with them.
Today, the Trump Administration is sanctioning three NGOs—Al Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights— for assisting in the ICC’s illegitimate actions against Israel. The United States will continue to protect our own sovereignty and the sovereignty of our…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 4, 2025
“These entities have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent,” Rubio said. He accused the Court of “politicized overreach” against US allies.
The move follows the ICC’s November issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant over evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Court also issued warrants for three Hamas commanders, all of whom were later martyred in "Israel's" war on Gaza.
Neither the US nor "Israel" recognizes the Court’s jurisdiction.
Targeted groups: Al-Haq, al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
The three Palestinian organizations have long provided evidence and documentation of violations in Gaza and the occupied territories. Analysts fear that sanctions could cripple their operations by cutting off funding, staff salaries, and access to international networks.
Brad Parker, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, described the designations to The Washington Post as “a cynical attempt to punish advocates leading the charge for accountability at the height of Israel’s US-backed genocide against the Palestinian people.”
A spokesperson for Al-Haq, speaking anonymously to The Washington Post due to security risks, called the implications “catastrophic,” adding that such measures “go beyond Palestine” by undermining global mechanisms of accountability.
Legal and human rights experts condemn the sanctions
Legal scholars argue the move distorts the purpose of sanctions, traditionally designed to punish war criminals and protect US security interests.
“Sanctions are not meant to muzzle those who are documenting human rights atrocities,” Mohsen Farshneshani of the Sanctions Law Center, told The Washington Post. Others warned the measures could create a chilling effect, discouraging human rights groups from cooperating with the ICC for fear of retaliation.
“This is how we apply sanctions to warlords and drug traffickers,” said a former US sanctions official to The Washington Post. “You want to hit the broader network so that it’s harder for the core of the network to do business. In this case, the core being targeted is the ICC itself.”
A history of US hostility toward the ICC
The sanctions reflect a long-standing pattern of US hostility toward the Court. Washington played a central role in negotiating the Rome Statute in the 1990s but later refused to ratify it. The George W Bush administration went as far as passing the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, authorizing “all means necessary” to prevent Americans from being prosecuted by the ICC.
Under Donald Trump, US hostility escalated sharply. In 2020, his administration imposed unprecedented sanctions on ICC officials after the Court authorized an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. Although the Biden administration later reversed those measures, it also opposed the Court’s recent arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, revealing a pattern of selective engagement.
Trump’s return to power in 2025 marked a return to confrontation. In February, he invoked emergency powers to impose sweeping sanctions on ICC staff, judges, and organizations assisting investigations against US nationals and allies, including "Israel".
Potential consequences for war crimes documentation in Gaza
Rights advocates warn that restricting Palestinian organizations could make it harder for ICC investigators to meet evidentiary standards in prosecuting cases related to Gaza.
Emily Schaeffer Omer-Man, a lecturer at American University, said the designations could trigger a “chain reaction,” where any group or individual providing support risks penalties. “Once an organization is a specially designated entity, providing any material, technical, or financial support becomes an offense,” she explained to The Washington Post.
The Palestine Institute for Public Policy has urged the European Union to invoke the Blocking Statute, designed in the 1990s to counter extraterritorial US sanctions.
