US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 2026. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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This story first appeared in Common Dreams on May 19, 2026 and is republished here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
Palestine advocates criticized Tuesday’s announcement by the Trump administration that the United States is imposing sanctions on four nonviolent activists involved in recent humanitarian flotillas that sought to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The US Department of the Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control is taking action against four people connected to the flotilla organized by the US-designated Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which it described as attempting to reach Gaza in support of Hamas, according to the Treasury statement.
The individuals named by the Treasury are Saif Abu Keshek, a Palestinian who also holds Spanish and Swedish citizenship and who helped organize and lead Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) missions; Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, the PCPA president based in Jordan; Mohammed Khatib, based in Belgium and serving as the European coordinator for Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network; and Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Samidoun’s coordinator in Madrid.
Some commentators framed the move as another example of US leverage over international banking, finance, and technology being used in support of Israel, noting it follows earlier sanctions on Palestinian human rights groups and certain elected officials and experts—including actions related to the @IntlCrimCourt—and on Francesca Albanese
— Maureen Murphy (@maureenclarem) May 19, 2026
“The pro-terror flotilla attempting to reach Gaza is a ludicrous attempt to undermine President [Donald] Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Tuesday. He added that the Treasury will continue efforts to disrupt what it describes as Hamas’ international financial support networks.
There has been no verified evidence publicly presented that links the flotillas to Hamas. At the same time, United Nations experts, various national governments, human rights organizations, and other analysts have accused Israel of committing grave abuses in Gaza, using terms such as genocide, apartheid, colonization, occupation, and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.
Samidoun described the sanctions—which freeze any US-based assets of the targets and prohibit Americans from conducting business with them—as part of what it called an ongoing US campaign against the Palestinian people. The group pointed to recent Israeli interceptions and seizures of GSF vessels off Gaza’s coast as context for its criticism, as reported by media outlets including Al Jazeera.
“Today’s sanctions by the US come hand-in-hand with today’s Israeli piracy of the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Freedom Flotilla, and the abduction of hundreds of international activists at sea,” Samidoun said in a statement, asserting that such measures against Palestinian groups amount to aiding alleged genocide.
Since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, both the Biden and Trump administrations have provided Israel with substantial military assistance and diplomatic support, including vetoes of several United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Overall US financial assistance to Israel since 1948—set in the context of the region’s broader history—has been estimated at nearly $300 billion when adjusted for inflation, according to congressional and research sources.
After returning to office, President Trump has taken steps that critics say target pro-Palestinian activists, students, organizations, and some foreign nationals. Advocacy groups, academics, and certain judges have argued these actions threaten free speech, association, and academic freedom.
The administration has also imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court officials, including Prosecutor Karim Khan, following the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza; the ICC also issued warrants for several Hamas figures who were later killed in Israeli operations.
On Tuesday, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the ICC is seeking his arrest and vowed to “fight back,” including by ordering the removal of hundreds of Palestinians from homes in the occupied West Bank, according to press reports.
The US administration has also moved to sanction independent UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese and her family; a federal judge temporarily blocked that action earlier this month, noting that the Italian expert’s public statements amounted to commentary rather than unlawful activity.
“Every time Palestinians and their supporters organize internationally, Washington turns to the terrorism label to try to shut them down,” Isabelle Hayslip, advocacy manager at Democracy for the Arab World Now, told Al Jazeera. She added that the designation process increasingly affects Palestinian diaspora communities that are pressing for rights and accountability.
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