Rubio stated in a statement that “these organizations were directly involved in the International Criminal Court’s efforts to investigate, arrest, and charge Israelis without Israel’s consent.” On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s website showed that Washington imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights organizations: the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, both based in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Al-Haq – Law in the Service of Man organization based in Ramallah.
The three organizations requested in November 2023 that the International Criminal Court investigate Israeli airstrikes on populated civilian areas in Gaza, as well as the blockade of the strip and the displacement of its residents. A year later, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) leader Ibrahim al-Masri (Mohammed Deif) on charges of committing crimes.
The administration of President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court judges and its prosecutor due to the Israeli arrest warrants and a previous court decision to open a case on alleged war crimes committed by forces in Afghanistan. The International Criminal Court, established in 2002, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide that may be committed in its 125 member states.
The sanctions on the Palestinian organizations come days after the world’s largest academic association of genocide scholars and specialists issued a resolution stating that the legal standards proving Israel’s commission of genocide in Gaza have been met.
