💦US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) over "baseless" investigations targeting the United States and its close ally Israel, the White House said.
ꦐAs per the executive order, the court in The Hague "abused its power" by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over war crimes in Gaza after the Hamas offensive in October 2023. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court.
൲Trump's action came amid Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Washington. He and Trump held talks Tuesday at the White House, and Netanyahu spent some of Thursday meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
What All Did The Order Say?
The order mentioned that the tribunal had engaged in "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel," referring to ICC 🌊probes into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza.
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel,” the order states while adding that the court had set a “dangerous precedent” with its actions against both countries, as per the Associated Press.
꧑The order said that the US would impose “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the ICC's “transgressions.” Actions may include blocking property and assets and not allowing ICC officials, employees, and relatives to enter the United States.
US, Israel Not Members Of ICC
𓂃Both Israel and the US are not enlisted among the international court's 124 members and have long harbored suspicions that a “Global Court” of unelected judges could arbitrarily prosecute U.S. officials.
𒈔A 2002 law authorized the Pentagon to liberate any American or U.S. ally held by the court.
🍌In 2020, Trump sanctioned chief prosecutor Karim Khan's predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, over her decision to open an inquiry into war crimes committed by all sides, including the U.S., in Afghanistan. However, those sanctions were lifted under President Joe Biden, and the U.S. began to tepidly cooperate with the tribunal — especially after Khan in 2023 charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with war crimes in Ukraine.
