Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump during a dinner in the White House on July 7, 2025, in Washington. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Sarah Leah Whitson is the executive director of DAWN .

For decades, the Treasury Department has politicized its authority to impose sanctions. Now, however, with the Trump administration sanctioning three Palestinian human rights organizations, civil society activists around the world are shocked and terrified: Could they be next?

The alarm is due to the brazen willingness of President Donald Trump to sanction the staff of these Palestinian groups specifically because of their advocacy with the International Criminal Court to hold Israeli war criminals accountable.

It’s the first time the U.S. has levied sanctions against an organization specif

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