US Sanctions Palestinian NGOs Supporting ICC Israel Probe

The United States, under President Donald Trump's administration, has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian NGOs—Al Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights—for collaborating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate and prosecute Israeli officials without Israel's consent. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that both the U.S. and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute and do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, condemning the ICC's actions as politicized and infringing on national sovereignty. The sanctions, authorized under Executive Order 14203, are part of a broader U.S. policy to protect its sovereignty and that of its allies, especially Israel, from what it views as illegitimate ICC overreach. The NGOs have been accused by groups like NGO Monitor of having ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and engaging in campaigns harmful to U.S. and Israeli interests. Palestinian groups have condemned the sanctions as unjust and a suppression of efforts to hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza. These U.S. actions follow previous sanctions on ICC personnel and Palestinian entities, signaling ongoing tensions over international legal efforts regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.