Trump ordered asset freeze and travel ban against ICC officers, employees and their family members.
President Donald Trump has slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that the body is abusing Israel and the United States.
The US leader on Thursday signed an executive order late, which involves the financial and visa ban on ICC employees and anyone assisting in the ICC investigation against the US and its colleagues.
The White House stated that the order accuses the US and our close aide Israel of “illegitimate and unfounded action” targeting.
The move took place with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to America. In November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, as well as the Israeli Defense Minister Yo Galant and a senior Hamas officer accused of war crimes in the war in Gaza.
Trump’s order said that the Hague-based court had “misused his power” by issuing warrants for Israel.
The White House “defined Israel as a democratic state, which strictly follows the laws of war”.
“The action taken by the International Criminal Court against Israel and the United States sets a dangerous example,” it continued, “alleging fatal behavior, violating American sovereignty and weakening national security and foreign policy Threatens “.
The names of the individuals targeted by sanctions were not immediately released, but the objective of the previous restrictions issued during Trump’s first term was prosecutors and their colleagues who conducted an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The ICC stated that the order tries to “harm its independent and fair judicial work”, and “pledged to continue justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities worldwide”.
“We asks our parties, civil society and all countries of our 125 states to unite for justice and fundamental human rights,” it said.
The move also provoked the expressions of alarm from all over the world.
European Council President Antonio Costa stated that the ban “weakens the international criminal justice system as a whole”.
The approval of the ICC threatens the freedom of the court and weakens the international criminal justice system as a whole.
– Antonio Costa (@EUCOPRESTEN) 7 February, 2025
The host country of the ICC said the Netherlands said that it “regrets” on the order, announcing that the court work is “necessary in the fight against impurities”. Amnesty International called the move “careless”.
The sanctions are a demonstration of support after Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, during which Trump announced a plan to “take” Gaza for the US and move Palestinians to other Middle Eastern countries.
The United Nations and legal experts have said that the plan will be illegal under international law. Forcible displacement is also a crime under ICC’s governing Rome law.
The 125 -member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals against war crimes, crimes against humanity, massacre and member states for aggression by their citizens.
America, China, Russia and Israel are not members.
Israel praised the sanctions given on the so -called ‘International Criminal Court’. Foreign Minister Gidon Sar said on X that the ICC works were “immoral and had no legal basis”.
