US President Donald Trump introduced sanctions against the International Criminal Court, accusing it of bias against the US and Israel.
Trump signed the decree during an official visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The document provides for financial and visa sanctions against individuals and their family members who participate in an ICC investigation of US citizens or allies.
The order states that the ICC’s actions set a dangerous precedent that could expose American citizens and military personnel to prosecution and arrest abroad:
“This malicious behavior [by the ISS] threatens to violate the sovereignty of the United States and undermines critical national security.”
The US has never recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC and is not a party to the Rome Statute, on the basis of which the court was created. Washington adheres to the position that American military and officials should not be subject to investigation by international bodies.
It will be recalled that Trump repeatedly criticized the ISS during his first presidency. In his first term, he had already imposed sanctions against court officials investigating possible US war crimes in Afghanistan, but the Joe Biden administration later lifted those sanctions.
