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.
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.
At the time, the ICC fired back, calling the sanctions an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law.”
The US is not a member of the ICC and has consistently rejected its jurisdiction over American officials or citizens.
Neither the US nor Israel is party to the Rome Statute, the 2002 treaty that established the court.
Joe Biden also criticized the ICC’s latest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, calling the move “outrageous” and rejecting any equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
Trump’s signing of the executive order coincides with Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Trump floated a controversial idea: the US could “take over” Gaza and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
He doubled down on the claim on his Truth Social platform, writing that “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.”
While Trump insists no American troops would be deployed, his post left unanswered questions about the fate of the two million Palestinians living in the enclave.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said any displacement would be temporary, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Gazans would leave for an “interim” period during reconstruction.
Arab leaders, human rights groups, and the UN have widely condemned the proposal.
