U.S. Sanctions Palestinian NGOs for Directly Engaging with ICC Investigation Against Israel

Latest Developments

Three Palestinian NGOs Sanctioned: On September 4, the United States imposed sanctions on three Palestinian NGOs for having “directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent.” The three organizations targeted by the sanctions are the West Bank-based Al Haq, the Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. “This administration has been clear: the United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and are therefore not subject to the ICC’s authority,” wrote the State Department, adding that “we oppose the ICC’s politicized agenda, overreach, and disregard for the sovereignty of the United States and that of our allies.”
Groups Requested ICC Investigations: In November 2023, the three groups requested that the ICC investigate Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. In a joint statement on September 5, the three organizations condemned the U.S. sanctions, describing them as an “attempt at silencing Palestinian voices” while urging “human rights defenders and people of conscience to act” against the decision.
U.S. Actions Against ICC: The State Department’s sanctions against the NGOs represent the latest action under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court.” Previously, the State Department levied sanctions against eight ICC officials, including four judges in June and four more judges and prosecutors in August, in what the ICC called “an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution.” The court in March 2020 commenced an investigation of alleged war crimes by members of the U.S. armed forces on the territory of Afghanistan and by members of the CIA in Afghanistan and against Afghani persons at sites in Eastern Europe. That investigation led to U.S. sanctions against ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in 2020.

FDD Expert Response

“The President’s executive order is very clear. If you are a foreign person or organization that is directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute an American or a person from a close American ally like Israel, then you will be held accountable with sanctions. The administration needs to continue robust enforcement, not just against ICC officials themselves, but their broader foreign support network that is enabling this illicit, unjustified, and illegitimate activity that puts American national security at risk.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

“The three sanctioned groups — Al Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR — have long played leading roles in the Palestinian lawfare campaign to manipulate international legal organizations into taking actions, inconsistent with both the facts and law, against Israel and its officials. If these groups are not thwarted now, the tactics they are using, and the precedents they are attempting to set, will undoubtedly be used to persecute U.S. and other NATO troops in the future.” — Orde Kittrie, Senior Fellow