US President-elect Donald Trump plans to introduce sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague shortly after assuming office, sources close to the matter told Israel Hayom.
The executive orders, aimed at crippling the ICC, could be unveiled as early as January 21, the report said.
The sanctions will target both ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, and the institution itself. The administration intends to classify the ICC as a threat to US national interests, utilizing designation procedures akin to those employed by the State Department for global terrorist organizations. This designation will impose strict penalties on anyone associated with the court’s operations.
Global financial institutions will be compelled to sever ties with ICC personnel or face sanctions from the US. Similar to measures imposed on sanctioned Israeli citizens by the outgoing administration, ICC staff will be unable to carry out routine banking activities, such as accessing credit cards or conducting financial transactions. Their assets will effectively be frozen, with exceptions allowed only for basic necessities like food purchases. Additionally, all US-based assets belonging to ICC employees and the institution itself will be frozen.
Beyond these unilateral measures, the incoming administration aims to rally US allies to reject cooperation with ICC arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials.
The ultimate objective of these actions is to pressure the ICC into withdrawing its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which were issued in November.
President Joe Biden condemned the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” stated Biden.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also stressed that the administration rejects the ICC decision and disagrees with other countries that accepted the decision.
"We are not going to be executing any arrest warrants, that is not something we are going to do from here," she stated.
She noted that the US believes the process was flawed and explained: "In contrast to how he (the prosecutor) has treated others, including (Venezuelan President) Nicolás Maduro and his associates, he failed to provide Israel with a meaningful opportunity to engage constructively and to properly consider its domestic processes. This calls into question the credibility of the prosecutor's investigation and the decision today.