US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday, September 4, that the United States will sanction three leading Palestinian rights groups for directly engaging in what he called the “illegitimate targeting of Israel” by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The sanctioned groups are:
Gaza-based Al-Mezan Centre for Human RightsGaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)Ramallah-based Al-Haq
Rubio stated that “the Palestinian entities” were added to the sanction list pursuant to Executive Order 14203 that was issued by US President Donald Trump on February 6, 2025, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court.”
“These entities have directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent,” he added.
The senior US official clarified that “the United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and are therefore not subject to the ICC’s authority.”
Rubio also accused the ICC of overreaching, and disregarding the sovereignty of the United States and its allies, including Israel, and of having a politicized agenda.
Legal actions taken by the three organizations against Israel
The three organizations had filed a lawsuit with the ICC in November 2023, urging the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) to include “crimes against humanity, notably apartheid, and the crime of genocide, in the ongoing investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine.”
They also called on the OTP to” issue arrest warrants expeditiously” for whoever is suspected of these crimes within the Israeli political, military, and administrative institutions, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, and then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant among others.
The legal action was taken by the Palestinian groups, one month after Israel had started its ongoing genocidal aggression on the Gaza strip, which had resulted in the death of over 10,000 Palestinians by that time.
The number of fatalities has multiplied dramatically as the aggression enters its 23rd month, to over 64,400 Palestinians, according to the latest figures released by the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
It is worth noting that the Trump administration also denied the issuance of US visas for more than 80 Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, on August 29, apparently to block them from attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which will open on Tuesday, September 9.
This year’s session is considered crucial for the Palestinian people as it is expected to see the recognition of a Palestinian State by a number of countries.
The US State Department claimed that the visa denial decision was made to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) accountable “for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
The longstanding legal battle of the three sanctioned organizations in defending Palestinian human rights
Peoples Dispatch spoke to Mr. Shawan Jabarin, the General Director of Al-Haq to learn more about the work of the three organizations, and possible consequences of the US sanctions.
Mr. Shawan Jabarin made clear that the three organizations have worked together as a team to advocate for the Palestinian people within a legal, lawful, and peaceful framework well before October 7, 2023.
He explained that Al-Haq and its two Palestinian sister organizations have been involved in international efforts to hold Israel accountable for its crimes even before the State of Palestine became a State Party to the Rome Statute (the ICC’s founding treaty) in 2015.
“When Israel waged its first aggression on the Gaza Strip between 2008 and 2009, we had been engaged in discussions with the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor. At that time, we were pushing towards having the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in Gaza considered by the court. As Palestine was not yet a State Party to the Rome Statue, the court declined the requests, justifying that those crimes would not be considered under its jurisdiction,” Mr. Jabarin said.
The Palestinian rights defender pointed out that Al-Haq has been subjected to a fierce international counter-campaign by the Israeli occupation for the last 15 years in a bid to delegitimize the organization, criminalize its work, and cut off its resources.
Israel’s government institutions, which are affiliated with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security apparatus, have been communicating with countries and international organizations to achieve that goal, Mr. Jabarin explained.
After all its attempts to distort the image of Al-Haq and other Palestinian human rights groups through those institutions failed, Israel decided to establish the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which designated these groups as “terrorist organizations” in 2021 to hinder their work.
Nonetheless, Al-Haq and its Palestinian counterparts continued with their work thanks to the continuous support of their partners and friends across the globe.
The timing of the US sanctions
Mr. Jabarin believes that the US sought to impose the sanctions now because the Trump administration’s policy completely identifies with the current Israeli occupation leadership and the extremist Zionist movement in general.
“The Trump administration has provided unprecedented and unconditional support to Israel on the political and military levels, which makes the US a partner in the ongoing genocide against the people of Gaza, and a major obstacle that prevents the Palestinian people from defending their rights,” he said.
Al-Haq’s General Director believes that the US government was not able to find any basis to designate the three Palestinian groups as “terrorist organizations”, therefore, it resorted to issuing the executive order to silence these institutions and cut off their resources through sanctions.
“The issued executive order is an attempt by the US to prevent the prosecution of the Israeli occupation state, and reinforce its impunity,” Mr. Jabarin noted.
The veteran activist described the US sanctions as an “act of bullying”. He slammed the Trump administration for adopting “a gangster-like logic, which does not represent a prudent state that may have had an influential role on international humanitarian, legal, moral and civilized aspects.”
Mr. Jabarin suggested that the US may have expedited the sanctions, when information was leaked that the ICC may issue arrest warrants for individuals in addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, who are complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Possible consequences of the US sanctions on the organizations
Regarding the potential consequences of the sanctions on the work of the three Palestinian institutions, Mr. Jabarin affirmed that they may face challenges with funding and other financial restrictions relevant to money transfer transactions and mechanisms, especially from US-based individuals, donors, and partners.
Defending Palestinian human rights is not a career we sought, it is a faith, says Al-Haq director
Mr. Shawan Jabarin said that the US sanctions will definitely have an impact on the work of the three organizations in terms of resources. Nevertheless, they will never dissuade Al-Haq and its sister organizations from persisting in their defense of Palestinian human rights, nor will they silence their voice, or curb them from dealing with the ICC or other international legal bodies.
He also stressed that his work in this field has not been a career which he sought, but a faith, adding that the teams of the three sanctioned organizations are willing to continue with their work voluntarily even if they will not receive any salary.
“We know very well that the path of justice, human rights, and pushing towards holding war criminals accountable is not an easy trail. It is no picnic. However, we will continue our work to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for the genocide and other crimes of war, and crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated by its forces not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the occupied West Bank, or against the Palestinian people anywhere else,” Mr. Jabarin stated.
“As a grandfather, today, I am thinking of my grandchildren and what kind of future they will live in. Will they remain living under the sway of this colonial military occupation entity, which seeks to turn our people’s life into hell? Or will they live a better future on their own soil, in their own homeland, inside their own homes?” the devoted Palestinian civil society leader wondered.
CCR condemns the sanctions and accuses the Trump administration of complicity in Israel’s crimes
The Center for Constitutional Rights, a progressive legal advocacy organization in the United States, issued a statement on Thursday, denouncing the US decision to sanction the leading Palestinian organizations.
“The Center for Constitutional Rights condemns in the strongest terms the State Department’s escalation of its attacks on Palestinian human rights organizations today. At the height of Israel’s US-backed genocide against the Palestinian people, the Trump administration has cynically chosen to punish the advocates leading the charge for accountability. This attack cements the United States government’s complicity in Israel’s crimes,” the statement reads.
“Today’s designations for sanctions come three months after the designation of another Palestinian human rights organization, Addameer, and a month after the designation of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, all because of their efforts to advocate for accountability for crimes committed against Palestinians,” the statement continues.
“By targeting civil society, human rights organizations, and international mechanisms, the administration is attempting to undermine the infrastructure of support for the most vulnerable communities; this dangerous, authoritarian sequence should alarm us all,” CCR warned.
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