Credit: Greger Ravik (CC BY 2.0)

Al-Haq, which is based in the West Bank, has been targeted alongside the Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR).

In a joint statement, the three groups condemned the “draconian sanctions” announced yesterday.

“These measures in times of live genocide against our people, are a coward, immoral, illegal and undemocratic act,” they said.

“Only states with complete disregard to international law and our shared humanity can take such heinous measures against human rights organisations working to end a genocide. 

“As the world moves to impose sanctions and arms embargoes on Israel, its ally, the US, is working to destroy Palestinian institutions working tirelessly for accountability for the victims of Israel’s mass atrocity crimes.”

All three organisations are well respected and have won international awards for their work.

Al-Haq has worked closely with the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem as well as Amnesty International.

The late US president Jimmy Carter, who presented a joint award to Al-Haq and B’Tselem in 1990, praised the Palestinian NGO in 2019 as “a pioneer in the Middle East in the struggle for justice through international law and human rights”.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International, blasted the sanctions today as a “deeply troubling and shameful assault on human rights and the global pursuit of justice”.

“These organisations carry out vital and courageous work, meticulously documenting human rights violations under the most horrifying conditions,” she said.

“They have steadfastly continued to do so in the face of war, genocide, and the oppressive reality of Israel’s apartheid regime, as well as malicious attempts to discredit their findings and cripple their funding with spurious terrorism accusations.

“They are the voice of Palestinian victims, amplifying stories of human suffering and injustice that would otherwise remain unheard.

“Their work is indispensable for achieving justice and accountability for decades of atrocities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.”

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said the organisations had been sanctioned because they had “directly engaged in efforts” by the ICC to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent”.

“The United States will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s disregard for sovereignty, and to punish entities that are complicit in its overreach,” he added.