Trump imposes sanctions on ICC over ‘illegitimate’ investigations into Israel and the US

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) over what the White House called “baseless” investigations into the United States and its close ally, Israel.  

The order accused the ICC of “abusing its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had met with Trump just days earlier. It also criticized the court’s probes into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan and Israeli forces in Gaza, labeling them “illegitimate and baseless.”  

Trump’s sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans on ICC officials, employees, their families, and anyone supporting the court’s investigations. The move was seen as a gesture of support for Netanyahu following his White House visit, where Trump unveiled a controversial plan to take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians to other Middle Eastern nations.  

Neither the US nor Israel are ICC members. The court has not yet responded to the sanctions.  

On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, citing “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024.  

During his first term, Trump had already sanctioned the ICC in 2020, targeting then-Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda after she launched an investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. While that order did not explicitly mention Israel, Trump officials had also opposed Bensouda’s 2019 probe into alleged crimes in Palestinian territories.  

President Joe Biden lifted those sanctions in 2021. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan later shifted the Afghanistan investigation’s focus away from the US and onto the Taliban.  

Biden condemned the ICC’s warrant against Netanyahu as “outrageous” in November.  

Last month, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to impose sanctions on the ICC, but Senate Democrats blocked it, warning that it could harm US allies and businesses. However, Democrats have also voiced frustration over the court’s actions against Netanyahu.