The United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the tribunal's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
US President Trump enacted these sanctions through an executive order, targeting ICC officials and their immediate family members with financial penalties and visa restrictions, reports the New York Times.
The sanctions were implemented shortly after a meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, during which discussions included strategies concerning the Gaza Strip.
ICC has accused Netanyahu and Gallant of deliberately depriving Gaza's civilian population of essential survival items.
Both the United States and Israel have consistently rejected the ICC's jurisdiction, as neither nation is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the court.
The executive order criticises the ICC's actions as "illegitimate and baseless," asserting that the court's conduct threatens the sovereignty of the United States and undermines critical national security and foreign policy efforts, particularly those involving allies like Israel.
As a result of the ICC's arrest warrants, Netanyahu and Gallant could face detention in any of the 124 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute, including the United Kingdom and France. This development has prompted the United States to take swift action to protect its allies and uphold its foreign policy objectives.
This is not the first instance of the United States sanctioning the ICC; the Trump administration previously imposed similar measures in response to the court's investigations into alleged US activities in Afghanistan. The current sanctions underscore the administration's firm stance against what it perceives as overreach by international institutions into the affairs of sovereign nations.
The international community now watches closely as tensions escalate between the United States and the ICC, with potential implications for global diplomatic relations and the future role of international judicial bodies.
