Ahmed Kame – Egypt Daily News
The United States has imposed what Reuters described as “terrorist-grade sanctions” on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, targeting individuals involved in investigations of war crimes in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. The sanctions include freezing assets and disrupting ongoing war crimes inquiries, according to reporting on Friday.
The move reportedly comes in response to pressure from at least two U.S.-based tech companies that Albanese had warned were aiding “gross violations of human rights” by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. Companies cited include major multinational firms such as Alphabet, Amazon, Caterpillar, Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Palantir. These companies have reportedly provided cloud services and artificial intelligence capabilities to support the Israeli military in targeting operations, including strikes on individuals affiliated with Hamas and their families.
Albanese, appointed by the UN to report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, sent letters urging these companies to cease supporting operations that could constitute human rights violations. The ICC has also pursued investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes, culminating in November 2024 with the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over tactics in Gaza, including the alleged use of starvation as a weapon.
Despite claims from the UN that Albanese had diplomatic immunity, the U.S. Treasury Department placed her and certain ICC staff on its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) sanctions list in July 2024. The SDN list is traditionally reserved for individuals involved in terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and weapons proliferation. The Trump administration justified the sanctions by labeling Albanese’s letters as “threatening,” even though they were intended to highlight potential legal liability under international law.
The sanctions have drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates, who warn that targeting ICC officials and UN personnel sets a dangerous precedent for undermining international accountability mechanisms. Analysts say the move reflects mounting tensions between Washington and the ICC over investigations into U.S. and Israeli conduct in conflict zones.
