PLO, Palestinian Factions Reject US Decision on Haniyeh

Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
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PLO, Palestinian Factions Reject US Decision on Haniyeh

Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)
Hamas political bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (REUTERS)

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) rejected the US decision to include Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on its terrorism list.

Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee, said that the organization “rejects and condemns the American decision to include Haniyeh on the terrorism list”, and called for overcoming all divisions and achieving national unity for the sake of the Palestinian national project.

The PLO’s position posed another challenge to the United States, in light of the crisis over US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as the organization has at previous times avoided commenting on similar decisions against Hamas.

Washington announced on Wednesday that it had included Ismail Haniyeh, on its terrorism list, along with three organizations.

“The Department of State has designated Ismail Haniyeh, Harakat al-Sabireen, Liwa al Thawra, and Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224,” read a media note by the State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson.

The decision sparked a wave of anger in the Palestinian territories, as many officials strongly denounced the new move. Haniyeh, for his part, was quoted as saying by his son that he has been awarded a “medal of honor” through the new US announcement.

Muhammad Haniyeh said his father told worshipers at the dawn prayer in Gaza that the US describing him as terrorist was an “honor medal.”

Hamas issued a statement in which it said that the American decision was a dangerous development that comes “in violation of the international laws, which gave the Palestinian people the right to defend themselves, resist the occupation and choose their leadership.”

“This decision demonstrates the full US bias in favor of the Israeli occupation and provides a formal cover for Israeli crimes against our Palestinian people,” the statement noted.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.