U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters reported, according to the national portal “Adyrna.”
Trump accused the organization of unlawfully prosecuting the U.S. and its key allies, particularly Israel.
Under the order, financial and visa sanctions will be imposed on individuals and their family members involved in investigations against U.S. citizens and their allies.
This decision came after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican proposal last week to sanction the ICC. Republicans had sought these sanctions in response to the court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu is currently on an official visit to Washington.
Trump’s executive order states that the ICC “has overstepped its authority by unjustly issuing warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.”
Additionally, the order emphasizes that the U.S. and Israel are “democratic nations that strictly uphold the laws of war.”
According to Reuters, the ICC had been preparing for possible U.S. sanctions by paying its employees three months’ salary in advance.
The ICC, in response, condemned the sanctions, calling them “an unacceptable interference with the rule of law.”
