Israel bars Al-Haq director Shawan Jabarin from travel before ICC meeting

Israeli authorities prevented Shawan Jabarin, director of the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, from crossing into Jordan via the Karameh crossing as he prepared to attend a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court.

Israeli authorities prevented Shawan Jabarin, director general of the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, from leaving the occupied West Bank for Jordan as he prepared to attend a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court scheduled for later this month.

In a statement, the Ramallah-based organization said Jabarin was barred from crossing via the Karameh crossing. It described the travel ban as part of Israel’s practices and threats against him because of his work documenting violations and seeking to hold those responsible accountable before the International Criminal Court.

Sign for the Karameh crossing (King Hussein Bridge) on the Palestinian side

Jabarin told Anadolu Agency that Israeli security personnel verbally informed him that the Shin Bet had issued a decision barring him from travel for “security reasons.” He added that Israel’s aim in issuing such decisions was to keep human rights defenders occupied with defending themselves.

Not the first travel ban

Al-Haq recalled that Jabarin, who is also one of the arbitrators at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, was threatened by the Shin Bet in 2022 and was subjected to a travel ban that lasted six years, from 2006 to 2012. It also noted that the organization has been under U.S. sanctions since September 2025 because of its cooperation with the International Criminal Court.

The organization said the decision was an attempt to silence Palestinian human rights organizations and restrict their work, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to lift the ban and provide protection for human rights defenders.

Travelers at the Allenby (Karameh) crossing between the West Bank and Jordan

Human Rights Watch described the travel ban as a “retaliatory effort” to punish those defending victims of serious crimes. It said the ban was the latest escalation in Israel’s campaign to silence Palestinian rights organizations documenting violations of international law.

Jabarin said the pressure he faces could not compare with the destruction and suffering experienced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, stressing that he would continue his work despite the restrictions.

Cover photo: Anadolu. Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Israel bars Al-Haq director Shawan Jabarin from travel before ICC meeting