Trump Approves Sanctions Against ICC Collaborators

U.S. President Donald Trump approved on Thursday economic and travel sanctions targeting individuals who assist the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigations related to U.S. citizens or allies, such as Israel. This move echoes a similar measure taken during his first term.

The decision coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.

The ICC recently issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, a former Israeli defense minister, and Hamas leaders over the war in Gaza.

It remains unclear how quickly the U.S. will announce the names of the sanctioned individuals.

During Trump’s first administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The sanctions include freezing the assets of these individuals in the U.S. and banning them and their families from entering the country.

The ICC, which has 125 member states, is a permanent court that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression on the territory of its member states or by their nationals. However, the U.S., China, Russia, and Israel are not members.

This executive order comes after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-led effort to sanction the ICC in response to its arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s military operation in Gaza.

According to Reuters sources, the ICC has taken steps to protect its staff from potential U.S. sanctions by paying three months’ salaries in advance and preparing for financial restrictions that could hinder its work.

In December, ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane warned that such sanctions could « rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all cases and situations, threatening its very existence. »