US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday imposing financial and visa sanctions on individuals involved in International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations targeting American citizens or US allies, including Israel, a White House official has confirmed.
The order, which extends to family members of those assisting ICC probes, comes after Democrats blocked a Republican-led push to impose sanctions in response to the Court’s recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Netanyahu is currently in Washington.
The ICC has not commented on the move but has been bracing for financial restrictions. Last month, sources said the Court had taken preemptive measures, such as paying staff salaries three months in advance, to mitigate potential sanctions.
The Court’s president, Judge Tomoko Akane, previously warned that sanctions could severely impact the tribunal, stating in December that such measures would rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all situations and cases, and jeopardise its very existence.
This marks the second time the ICC has faced US retaliation. In 2020, during Trump’s first term, Washington imposed sanctions on then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and a top aide over their probe into alleged American war crimes in Afghanistan.
The ICC, a 125-member permanent court, prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and crimes of aggression. However, the United States, along with China, Russia, and Israel, is not a member and has consistently opposed the Court’s jurisdiction over its nationals.
