Trump Sanctions on ICC Over 'Illegitimate' Investigations

Trump signed an executive order targeting the ICC for issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had met with Trump earlier in the week. The sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans on ICC officials, employees, and their families, as well as anyone connected to the court’s investigations. The names of those affected were not immediately disclosed, though previous U.S. sanctions under Trump had already targeted the court’s prosecutor.

The executive order criticized the ICC for “abusing its power” in investigating alleged war crimes by U.S. and Israeli forces, specifically focusing on U.S. service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza. Neither the U.S. nor Israel are members of the court, which has led to further tension.

There was no immediate response from the ICC, but the Netherlands, which hosts the court, expressed regret over Trump’s decision. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp stated that the ICC’s work was vital in the global fight against impunity.

The sanctions came shortly after Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, during which Trump unveiled a controversial plan to “take over” Gaza and resettle Palestinians in other Middle Eastern countries. The plan has been widely condemned by the UN and legal experts, who argue that it violates international law, particularly the prohibition on forcible displacement, a crime under the ICC's governing statute.

The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, citing reasonable grounds for “criminal responsibility” in alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Netanyahu has accused the court of anti-Semitism.

In 2020, Trump had imposed similar sanctions on the ICC’s then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, after she launched an investigation into potential war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. His administration also objected to Bensouda's investigation into the situation in the Palestinian territories. After Biden took office, he lifted the sanctions, but the Afghan investigation shifted its focus to the Taliban.

Biden also condemned the ICC’s November warrant against Netanyahu, calling it “outrageous.” Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to impose further sanctions on the ICC, but Senate Democrats blocked it, arguing that it could harm U.S. allies. Despite this, some Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with the sanctions imposed on Netanyahu.