Trump sanctions International Criminal Court over 'baseless actions' targeting US and Israel

Washington: President Donald Trump has issued an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), condemning it for taking "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."

According to a BBC report, the order enforces financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who aid ICC investigations into American citizens or allies.

Trump signed the measure during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.

In November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The court also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander, according to the report.

A White House fact sheet circulated earlier on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of drawing a "shameful moral equivalency" between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants simultaneously.

Trump's executive order warns that the ICC's recent decisions "set a dangerous precedent," exposing Americans to "harassment, abuse and possible arrest."

"This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel," the order states.

It further asserts that "both nations (the U.S. and Israel) are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war."

The US is not a member of the ICC and has consistently rejected its jurisdiction over American officials or citizens.

The White House criticised the court for restricting Israel's right to self-defence while allegedly ignoring Iran and anti-Israel groups.

Trump has previously condemned the ICC and took steps to sanction it during his first term.

At the time, he imposed sanctions on ICC officials probing possible U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan, though those restrictions were later lifted by President Joe Biden’s administration.

Last month, the US House of Representatives passed a measure to sanction the ICC, but the legislation stalled in the Senate.

The ICC, established in 2002 following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide, investigates alleged atrocities.

More than 120 countries have ratified the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, while 34 others have signed it and may ratify in the future.

Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute.

The ICC acts as a court of last resort, intervening only when national authorities fail or refuse to prosecute.

During his tenure, Biden also criticised the ICC's warrant for Netanyahu, calling the move "outrageous" and rejecting any equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

Trump's latest executive order comes after he announced at a joint press conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday a plan for the U.S. to "take over" Gaza, resettle Palestinians, and turn the area into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Following condemnation from Arab leaders and the UN, Trump reiterated the idea on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.

"The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting," he wrote.

Trump signed the order as Netanyahu continued meetings in Washington, including discussions with lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties on Capitol Hill.

During the visit, Netanyahu presented Trump with a golden pager, referencing Israel's September operation against Hezbollah. The attack, using booby-trapped communication devices, resulted in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries.

Israel maintained that the operation targeted Hezbollah members, though Lebanese officials claimed civilians were also among the casualties. IANS