Palestinian Authority creates new body for work with the ICC – defying the US
PA announces a new governmental framework called the Palestinian National Monitoring Center for the purpose of coordinating and organizing evidence to present to the ICC
PLO's National Monitoring Center assists the PA in filing lawsuits at the ICC and the ICJ
In July 2025, the US sanctioned the PA and PLO for their activities with the ICC
In open defiance of US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US law, which calls for sanctions on governments and individuals who work with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the US and its allies, the Palestinian Authority has established a new dedicated governmental body to prepare evidence of "Israel's crimes" for submission to the ICC.
On Feb. 6, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14203, which calls for "tangible and significant consequences" to be enforced against "any foreign person [including governments]… to have directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected person," including "our close ally Israel."
In July 2025, US Secretary of State Rubio announced sanctions against the PA and PLO for their ongoing violations of President Trump's Executive Order by their engagement with the ICC. The sanctions followed a detailed report by Palestinian Media Watch sent to Secretary of State Rubio, which documented the PA's violations.
But in defiance of President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio's sanctions, the PA has continued to actively work with and supply the ICC with material to prosecute Israel. And in a show of complete contempt for the US, the PA has now established a new governmental body called the Palestinian National Monitoring Center for the sole purpose of preparing evidence for the ICC. It includes "a group of researchers, 65 legal experts who travel throughout" Israeli and Palestinian territories "to provide legal documentation... This is important because there are several lawsuits pending today in international courts, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC)" [PA Spokesman, Official PA TV, Aug. 16, 2026].
This comes at a significant time, as Palestinian sources have reported on PA requests that the US cancel the sanctions and allow PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to travel to the UN General Assembly meetings this month, September 2026. This new information makes it abundantly clear that there is no justification for ending the US sanctions.
In addition, PMW is preparing a full report, documenting the Palestinian Authority's activities with the ICC since US sanctions were imposed last year, which will be sent to Secretary of State Rubio next week. The report documents that at no point in the last year has the PA stopped being "directly engaged in any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute … our close ally Israel."
The following are three PA announcements regarding the new "Palestinian National Monitoring Center" for active cooperation with the ICC:
Head of PLO Department of Human Rights Qassem Awad:
"We have dozens of documents, recordings, and records that were provided to the International Criminal Court (ICC)… Recently, we in the PLO Human Rights Department established a huge national database [the Palestinian National Monitoring Center] dealing with all forms of [Israeli] crime according to the borders of June 4, 1967, and this will be announced and launched at the start of next month [August 2026] under the auspices of His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen… We are strengthening our international relations with international legal institutions and expanding the sphere of pursuit of war criminals among the occupation's (i.e., Israel's) leaders. We are also preparing to conduct a trial according to the [Rome] Statute for Justice and the Law of Nations in addition to continuing our efforts at the International Criminal Court and at the EU Court of Justice."
[Voice of Palestine Radio, Facebook page, July 20, 2026]
Government of the State of Palestine Announcement:
"Under the auspices of His Excellency, President Mahmoud Abbas, and in the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa, the PLO's Department of Human Rights and Civil Society launched the Palestinian National Monitoring Center for documenting violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by the occupation – today [29/07/26] at the Ramallah Municipality Hall...
In his speech as the president's representative, the prime minister said: …
'Our national responsibility is not limited to conveying what is happening, but also to documenting it methodically and professionally, verifying it, and turning individual facts into solid evidence...'
Mustafa thanked the PLO's Department of Human Rights and Civil Society, led by Ahmad Said Bayyoud Al-Tamimi, and all the national institutions and partners who contributed to the completion of this project...
PLO Executive Committee member and Head of the Department of Human Rights and Civil Society, Ahmad Al-Tamimi, confirmed that the launch of the Palestinian National Monitoring Center fulfills a national vision that addresses an urgent need to unify efforts to document Israeli violations, in accordance with international legal standards, and noted that the center will be a national authority for preserving memory, maintaining evidence and testimonies, and strengthening Palestine's ability to pursue perpetrators of crimes before international courts and legal mechanisms...
Al-Tamimi added that the monitoring center... aims to build a secure national database that preserves documents and evidence, and to prepare legal files and reports that contribute to establishing international accountability.
The attorney general, head of the National Documentation Team, Legal Advisor Akram Al-Khatib confirmed that the monitoring center will in the future be a central source for the work of the national team specializing in crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court – under the management of the Attorney General's office, focusing on collecting, documenting, and verifying all facts and information related to crimes committed by the occupation on the land of the State of Palestine, in a way that contributes to building solid legal files that meet the requirements of proof and accountability."
[Government of the State of Palestine, official website, July 29, 2026]
PA spokesman and Government Media Center Director and spokesman Dr. Muhammad Abu Al-Rub:
"I want to emphasize another important point regarding the Palestinian National Monitoring Center, which was launched by the PLO and was announced a few weeks ago. Today there is a group of researchers, 65 legal experts who travel throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The idea is not only to monitor and document the occupation's (i.e., Israel's) crimes but to provide legal documentation according to the standards accepted in international courts. This is important because there are several lawsuits pending today in international courts, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC)… When you provide materials and sworn testimonies, which are uploaded to the Palestinian National Monitoring Center's website in several languages, that is also an important effort at documentation that assists legal and human rights institutions, contributes to the Palestinian diplomatic effort, and assists countries currently participating with us in filing [at the ICC]."
[Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, Aug. 16, 2026]