The Worldwide Felony Court docket had issued arrest warrants towards Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former protection minister.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump enacted on Feb. 6 an government order to permit for the imposition of sanctions on the Worldwide Felony Court docket (ICC) over its alleged bias towards Israel and the US.
The ICC issued arrest warrants towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s actions in Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel.
“This malign conduct in flip threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the US and undermines the vital nationwide safety and international coverage work of the US Authorities and our allies, together with Israel,” he continued.
The US nor Israel is a celebration to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC in 2002.
The ICC criticized the chief order, saying it hurts “its unbiased and neutral judicial work.”
The Hague court docket went on to say that it “stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to proceed offering justice and hope to hundreds of thousands of harmless victims of atrocities the world over, in all conditions earlier than it.”
The court docket—primarily based in The Hague, Netherlands—arrests and prosecutes international people for crimes towards humanity. At the moment, 125 international locations are underneath the statute.
What the Govt Order Says
The chief order paves the best way for the US to sanction people who “have immediately engaged in any effort by the ICC to analyze, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected particular person with out consent of that particular person’s nation of nationality.”
These sanctions would encompass blocking these folks from getting into and having belongings in the US.
Members of the family of these sanctioned may be affected.
Moreover, the chief order prohibits helping those that have been sanctioned by the US.
Furthermore, it requires Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to submit a report back to the president by April 7 about who needs to be sanctioned underneath the chief order.
“The US stays dedicated to accountability and to the peaceable cultivation of worldwide order, however the ICC and events to the Rome Statute should respect the choices of the US and different international locations to not topic their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, in keeping with their respective sovereign prerogatives,” said Trump.
Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and President Donald Trump take questions from members of the press on the White Home in Washington on Feb. 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Occasions
ICC’s Accusations In opposition to Netanyahu and Gallant
The ICC introduced final November warrants towards Netanyahu and Gallant “for crimes towards humanity and struggle crimes dedicated” between Oct. 8, 2023, and Could 20, 2024.
They have been accused of “the struggle crime of hunger as a way of warfare; and the crimes towards humanity of homicide, persecution, and different inhumane acts.”
Netanyahu and Gallant criticized the warrants, with the previous accusing the ICC of “absurd and false actions” and the latter saying the transfer “units a harmful precedent towards the proper to self-defense and ethical warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.”
Gallant was fired as protection minister in November.
All three have since died.
A lady walks close to a billboard displaying portraits of Hamas chief Mohammed Deif (R) and Ismail Haniyeh with the slogan “assassinated” written in Hebrew, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 2, 2024. Oren Ziv/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Senate Didn’t Go ICC Sanctions Invoice
The chief order got here simply over per week after the Senate did not advance a invoice to sanction the ICC.
All however one of many Senate Democrats voted towards invoking cloture on the measure—which might have required 60 votes to beat the filibuster, which applies to most laws within the higher congressional chamber.
The invoice would have enabled the US to slap sanctions on these concerned with the ICC’s work in terms of coping with the US, Israel, and some other ally not a celebration to the Rome Statute.
Moreover, the measure would have ceased U.S. assist for the ICC.
Democrats claimed that the invoice was too broad and would enable for the sanctioning of American firms that do enterprise with The Hague court docket.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer claimed that the invoice would enable Trump to “arbitrarily sanction the heads of state of our allies.”
Whether or not the invoice will likely be modified or introduced up once more is to be decided. The invoice beforehand handed the Home in a bipartisan vote.