Trump ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members.
President Donald Trump has slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the body of abusing Israel and the United States.
The US leader signed an executive order late on Thursday that places financial and visa restrictions on ICC staff and anyone assisting ICC investigations against the US and its allies.
The order accuses the ICC of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”, the White House said.
The move coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US. The ICC in November issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, as well as former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and a senior Hamas official, accusing them of war crimes in the war in Gaza.
Trump’s order stated The Hague-based court had “abused its power” by issuing the warrants for the Israelis.
The White House defined Israel as “a democratic state whose military strictly adheres to the laws of war”.
“The actions taken by the International Criminal Court against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent,” it continued, accusing the ICC of “malign behaviour that threatens to violate American sovereignty and undermine national security and foreign policy”.
The names of individuals targeted by the sanctions were not immediately released, but previous sanctions issued during Trump’s first term were aimed at the prosecutor and her aide who ran an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.
The ICC said that the order seeks to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work,” and pledged to “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world”.
“We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,” it added.
The move also provoked expressions of alarm from around the world.
European Council President Antonio Costa said the sanctions “undermine the international criminal justice system as a whole”.
Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court’s independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole. https://t.co/zk0lsnB1p0
— António Costa (@eucopresident) February 7, 2025
The Netherlands, the ICC’s host country, said it “regrets” the order, declaring that the court’s work is “essential in the fight against impunity”. Amnesty International labelled the move “reckless”.
The sanctions are a show of support after Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, during which Trump announced a plan for the US to “take over” Gaza and move Palestinians to other Middle Eastern countries.
The UN and legal experts have said the plan would be illegal under international law. Forcible displacement is also a crime under the ICC’s governing Rome Statute.
The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals.
The US, China, Russia and Israel are not members.
Israel praised the sanctions ordered on the “so-called ‘international criminal court’”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X that the ICC’s actions were “immoral and have no legal basis”.
