Why did Trump attack the World Criminal Court with sanctions? | Israeli-Palestinian conflict news

US President Donald Trump slapped sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing him of attacking Israel and the United States.

In an executive order issued late Thursday, Trump called the court “illegal” and placed financial and US visa restrictions on ICC staff and those supporting ICC investigations into the United States and its allies.

Trump said the arrest warrant issued by the ICC in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Joa Garant, who accused him of war crimes in Gaza, was “baseless.” . However, analysts describe the sanctions order as “an attack on the rule of law.”

Here’s what we know so far:

What does the executive order say?

Trump’s executive order alleges that the ICC “abused power” by issuing a warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant, and the Hague court “illegal” against the United States and its “close allies” Israel He said he filed a lawsuit.

Trump’s order, consistent with Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, approves sanctions and restrictions, including assets freezes and travel bans against ICC officials seeking to prosecute American citizens and “allies.”

The White House defined Israel as “a democratic nation in which the military strictly adheres to the laws of war.”

“The actions taken by the International Criminal Court against Israel and the United States have set a dangerous precedent,” he said, criticizing “malignant behavior that violates American sovereignty and threatens to undermine national security and foreign policy.” did.

Neither the United States nor Israel are signatories of the Roman Law, the treaty that established the ICC in 2002.

How did the previous US administration respond to arrest warrants?

In November, then-President Joe Biden called the ICC’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu “outrageous.”

In addition to the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Hamas Mohammed Al-Masri, known as Hamas Deif. Attacks on a military post base and village in southern Israel, where 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 people were taken prisoner in Gaza.

In a statement, Biden said: We are always against the threat to Israel’s security. ”

Israel said he killed Daif in southern Gaza in July. Hamas confirmed his death last week. The ICC indicted him along with two other Hamas leaders, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Both were killed.

On January 9th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a law sanctioning the ICC by 243-140 votes.

“America is passing this law because it is about to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” said Brian Mast in a speech before the vote.

The only lawmaker who did not support the bill was a Democrat. However, 45 members of the party voted for it. On January 28th, the US Senate blocked the law.

How does sanctions work?

Authorized individuals may be denied entry into the United States. They could also freeze US assets and be denied financial transactions with entities, including “Americans” and banks. Additionally, if an entity outside the US violates sanctions, it could lose access to the US financial system.

Violation of sanctions can lead to fines and imprisonment.

Trump’s executive order is aimed at ICC staff responsible for “violations” in court. Sanctions can also be applied to staff family members who support ICC investigations.

The names of individuals subject to sanctions have not been released. However, previous sanctions against the ICC, issued during Trump’s first term in 2020, targeted aides and aides who conducted an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Will sanctions curb the ICC investigation regarding Israeli war crimes?

Putting ICC officials under sanctions could hinder ongoing investigations by making them more difficult for them to travel and access funds. Trump’s actions also risk discrediting international efforts to bring war criminals to justice.

Yossi Mekelberg, a professor at London-based Chatham House and Israeli analyst, told Al Jazeera: He added that executive orders can “scarry people from working with the ICC.”

Saul Takahashi, a professor of international human rights law at Jogaquin University in Osaka, Japan, told Al Jazeera that the indirect meaning of Trump’s moves could be “very serious.”

“The executive order not only certifies actual staff members of the ICC, but also speaks of people who work with the ICC to cooperate with Israeli officials,” he said. “We’re talking about human rights activists, victims, etc. Those people may be locked out of the United States or face penalties.”

Nave Gordon, a law professor at Queen Mary University in London and a board member of the International National Crime Initiative, said he does not expect ICC’s “very brave” staff to backtrack from the investigation. .

Gordon told Al Jazeera: [ICC staff members’] A history of resistance and a willingness to stand up to support the law and speak the truth to power despite years of pressure doubts this executive order will force them to step down. ”

Does this order interfere with the function of the ICC?

In a statement released Friday, the ICC calls for Trump’s executive order to “harm harm independent and impartial judicial activities,” but it said “millions of innocent victims around the world.” “I hope to continue to provide justice and hope to the company.”

“We are calling on 125 political parties, civil society and all countries in the world to unite for justice and fundamental human rights,” he added.

International financial institutions may refrain from cooperating with the courts as a result of sanctions.

“The interests were never high,” Gordon said. “The sanctions target the ICC and its independent and impartial judicial activities, but in fact constitute a direct attack on the international legal order after World War II.

“By targeting only international legal bodies with the capacity to enforce the post-World War II international legal system, the de facto executive order was the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Genocide Convention of 1951. , which undermines international humanitarian law, including a set of international treaties, is related to the laws of war and the laws of human rights.

“It’s an attack on the rule of law.”

Mekelberg said Trump’s move “sent a horrifying message to other international organs that they may suffer if they do not comply with the US.”

However, Takahashi said the direct impact of US sanctions on the ICC is likely to be “limited.”

“It’s not in the US. It’s in The Hague, Netherlands,” Takahashi told Al Jazeera, adding that only ICC staff with US assets are at risk.

What was your reaction to the order so far?

Trump’s executive order has sparked expressions of alarms from around the world. Council of Europe President Antonio Costa said sanctions “undermine the entire international criminal justice system.”

ICC sanctions threaten court independence and undermine the entire international criminal justice system. https://t.co/zk0lsnb1p0

– Antonio Costa (@eucopresident) February 7, 2025

The Netherlands “remorse” the order and declared that the court’s work was “essential to the fight against immunity.” Amnesty International labeled the move “reckless.”

On his part, the Israeli Prime Minister praised Trump’s move. On X, Netanyahu posted: It will protect America and Israel from corrupt anti-American and anti-Semitic courts. ”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC executive order. It defends America and Israel from anti-American and anti-sensitive corrupt courts with no jurisdiction or basis to engage in the laws against us.

– February 7, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister (@israelipm)

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saa said he “strongly praised Trump’s executive order.

“The ICC is actively pursuing the elected leader of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East,” writes Saar to X. . They are thriving democracy in an army that adheres to international law. ”