Trump orders sanctions against ICC over 'baseless' arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu, former DM Gallant

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday evening comprising sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to its “baseless arrest warrants” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC,” the executive order stated. “Neither country has ever recognized the ICC's jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.”

The executive order calls for “tangible and significant consequences” for ICC officials that might include the denial of entry into the United States and the blocking of assets and property. The order concluded that ICC’s hostile measures threaten U.S. national security and foreign policy.

Trump stressed that the United States expects that its allies will reject the ICC’s illegal measures against the United States, Israel, or any other sovereign state that is not a member of the ICC.

In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, claiming alleged “war crimes” against Palestinians during the war against the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.

In response, Israel, the United States and several other Western nations have accused the ICC of anti-Israel bias and condemned its unprecedented arrest warrants against Israel’s democratically elected leaders.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Trump’s sanctions against the ICC.

 “I strongly commend President Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the so-called ‘international criminal court.’ The ICC aggressively pursues the elected leaders of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East,” Sa’ar wrote on 𝕏.

He argued that the international court lacks legal jurisdiction as neither Israel nor the United States are member states.

“The ICC has no jurisdiction – Israel and the U.S. are not parties to the Rome Statute and are not members of the ICC. They are thriving democracies with militaries strictly adhering to international law. The ICC’s actions are immoral and have no legal basis. The ICC does not abide by international law. It undermines international law,” Sa’ar concluded.

The ICC responded to the sanctions by blasting the Trump administration's move.

“The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work,” read a statement issued by the court.

In its statement, the ICC also called “on all our 125 states parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.”

The European Union also condemned President Trump’s executive order.

“Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court's independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,” President of the European Council Antonio Costa Costa wrote on 𝕏.

Likewise, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, criticized the move.

“The ICC guarantees accountability for international crimes and gives a voice to victims worldwide. It must be able to freely pursue the fight against global impunity. Europe will always stand for justice and the respect of international law,” she wrote on 𝕏.

The ICC was established in 1998 as an international tribunal tasked with prosecuting individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.