US imposes sanctions on Palestinian NGOs over ICC investigations of Israelis

The U.S. State Department has announced sanctions against three Palestinian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in arrests, detentions, and investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) targeting Israeli citizens without the consent of Israel.

The sanctioned groups are Al Haq, the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). The designations were made under Executive Order 14203, “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” according to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the State Department website.

“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,” Rubio said. He added that the United States and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute and are therefore not subject to the ICC’s authority.

Rubio criticised the ICC for what he described as a “politicized agenda, overreach, and disregard for the sovereignty of the United States and that of our allies.” He warned that the United States will continue to take “significant and tangible” measures to protect its national interests, sovereignty, troops, and allies, including Israel, and to hold accountable entities complicit in the ICC’s actions.

By Vugar Khalilov