Donald Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court for ‘targeting’ US, Israel

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court for its “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.

In the order published by the White House, Trump claimed that the court asserted its jurisdiction and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the US and its close ally, Israel, without a legitimate basis.

The US president was referring to the investigations undertaken by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza, AFP reported.

Trump also accused the court of abusing its power by issuing “baseless arrest warrants” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza.

Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the International Criminal Court, and neither country has ever recognised the court’s jurisdiction, Trump said on Thursday.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the court. It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy in 1998 and came into force in 2002.

The order said that “the ICC [International…

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