The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order on Thursday imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to the arrest warrants issued by that institution against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, on November 21. It is the first time the US has imposed sanctions against an international governmental organization.
Trump's decision comes after the US Senate rejected a law last week sanctioning the ICC for the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. The measure had 54 votes in favor and 45 against, failing to reach the required qualified majority of 60 for approval, due to the opposition of the Democratic minority.
The sanctions are imposed on officials - and their families - of the ICC who participate in investigations involving US citizens and their allies.
The order includes financial restrictions and visa restrictions for individuals from the ICC collaborating in investigations against US citizens or Washington's allies.
In June 2020, Trump authorized sanctions against ICC officials for their investigations into the actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan. However, at that time, no officials were named, leaving that task to Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who took no action. The sanctions outlined in that Executive Order were very similar to those now being implemented.
The ICC is composed of 125 countries. The United States, like Israel, Russia, and Sudan, signed the Rome Statute that established the creation of the organization but never ratified it. However, Palestine is a signatory, sparking a legal debate about whether Israel falls under the ICC's authority for alleged crimes committed in the Palestinian territories it occupies.