PRESIDENT Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
The sweeping measure slaps financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.
Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court[/caption]
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference at The White House in Washington[/caption]
The ICC had previously issued arrest warrants for the Israeli PM[/caption]
The move comes after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a charge Israel denies.
The court also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.
The ICC responded to previous US threats against the court by saying it “regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality,” the BBC reported.
The White House has fiercely criticized the ICC, accusing it of drawing a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing simultaneous warrants for both Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander.
A fact sheet circulated by the administration argues the court is unfairly constraining Israel’s right to self-defense while ignoring threats from Iran and anti-Israel groups.
Trump’s order warns that the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” by exposing American officials to “harassment, abuse and possible arrest.”
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order states.
Trump has long been a vocal critic of the ICC, having previously sanctioned the court during his first term.
In 2020, he imposed financial restrictions and travel bans on ICC officials investigating whether US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
The order enabled the US to freeze the assets of ICC employees and bar them from entering the country.
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