Gaza (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Center for Human Rights has strongly condemned the US decision to designate the British movement Palestine Action as a terrorist organization and impose sanctions on it, describing the move as a dangerous development aimed at criminalizing political activism and protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The center said the decision reflects a growing use of counterterrorism measures and financial sanctions to suppress peaceful political activities and solidarity with Palestinians, while Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank continue.
In a statement issued Thursday, the center noted that the US decision, announced on August 26, 2026, comes against the backdrop of the British government’s designation of Palestine Action in 2025, while legal challenges to that designation remain ongoing in British courts.
The center said the United States has placed Palestine Action under sanctions linked to Executive Order 13224, resulting in broader financial restrictions, the freezing of assets under US jurisdiction, and prohibitions on US citizens providing support or engaging in prohibited financial transactions with the designated group.
It stressed that counterterrorism laws must not be used as a tool to punish political positions, suppress peaceful protests, or criminalize solidarity with people suffering serious human rights violations. International human rights law protects freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of association.
The center argued that any restrictions on these rights must be based on clear laws and legitimate objectives and must comply with the principles of necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination. If evidence exists that individuals committed specific criminal acts, they should be held individually accountable through fair judicial proceedings rather than an entire political or protest movement being collectively designated as a terrorist organization.
It further stated that opposing a government’s policies, protesting against the involvement of companies in the arms industry, or expressing solidarity with Palestinians does not, by itself, provide a legal basis for designating an organization as terrorist. Even where individual protest actions involve violations of the law, responsibility should be determined individually rather than turning political dissent into a transnational terrorism case.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights said the latest decision should also be viewed within the broader context of recent US measures targeting individuals and organizations involved in human rights, legal and political issues concerning Palestine.
It recalled that the United States has previously imposed sanctions and restrictions on officials of the International Criminal Court over investigations concerning international crimes, as well as financial sanctions against independent Palestinian human rights organizations cooperating with the ICC.
The center also referred to US sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as sanctions imposed in September 2025 on three leading Palestinian human rights organizations: Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
It warned that the continued expansion of such measures is creating a dangerous trend of shrinking civic and legal space related to Palestine. Instead of protecting human rights defenders, journalists, civil society organizations and judicial institutions seeking to investigate international crimes, these actors are increasingly subjected to pressure, sanctions and accusations.
The center described the application of international law through double standards as one of the most dangerous aspects of this policy. It said that while the United States presents itself as a supporter of ending impunity and prosecuting perpetrators of international crimes, it has simultaneously sanctioned ICC officials for exercising their independent judicial powers and targeted Palestine Action for its political and solidarity activities.
The center stressed that the fight against terrorism must remain subject to the law rather than becoming a substitute for it. The term “terrorism” must not be used to suppress calls for accountability, intimidate civil society, or prevent protests against serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
It emphasized that freedom of expression does not grant immunity from accountability for crimes, but punishment must always be based on a specific act, individual responsibility, fair proceedings and evidence capable of judicial scrutiny. Using vague designations and collective punishment to silence an entire sphere of civil and political activity amounts to a departure from the rule of law.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights called on people in the United States and Europe to defend civil liberties and reject efforts to criminalize solidarity with the Palestinian people. It also urged international human rights organizations, trade unions, legal institutions, academics and parliamentarians to speak out against the growing use of counterterrorism laws against political and civil activities.
The center called on the United States and Britain to review their decisions concerning Palestine Action and ensure that counterterrorism legislation is not used to punish political dissent or solidarity with the Palestinian people. It further demanded an immediate end to policies that subject Palestinian rights advocacy and calls for accountability for international crimes to sanctions and legal proceedings.
The Gaza Center for Human Rights concluded by reaffirming that international law cannot be applied selectively, stressing that the protection of civilians, freedom of expression and the right to justice must be universal principles applicable to all people. Otherwise, it warned, the international human rights system risks becoming a political instrument and losing its legitimacy and credibility.
