A Palestinian flag flutters amid the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive. PHOTO: REUTERS
The United States has imposed sanctions on three Palestinian human rights groups that asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza, according to a notice posted to the US Treasury Department’s website on Thursday.
The three groups – Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Ramallah-based Al-Haq – were listed under what the Treasury Department said were International Criminal Court-related designations.
The groups asked the ICC in November 2023 to investigate Israeli air strikes on densely populated civilian areas of Gaza, the siege of the territory and displacement of the population.
A year later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim al-Marsi, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed sanctions on ICC judges as well as its chief prosecutor over the Israeli arrest warrants and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.
The ICC, which was established in 2002, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in its 125 member countries. Some nations, including the US, China, Russia and Israel, do not recognise its authority.
Read: ICC issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu over Gaza war crimes[1]
The US sanctions against the Palestinian groups come days after the world’s biggest academic association of genocide scholars passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Israel called the announcement disgraceful and “entirely based on Hamas’ campaign of lies”.
Israel’s war on Gaza
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 62,686 people and wounded 157,951, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave says.
The latest deaths raise the total number of aid seekers who have been killed by Israeli fire since the establishment of the US- and Israel-backed GHF at the end of May to 2,095, with more than 15,431 wounded.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.
References
- ^ ICC issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu over Gaza war crimes (tribune.com.pk)