President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday slapping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Trump called the ICC’s actions “illegitimate and baseless” after the Hague-based court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. The executive order, reported by The Washington Post, accuses the ICC of overstepping its authority by investigating U.S. and its ally Israel, both of which reject the court’s jurisdiction. “Neither country has ever recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war,” says the order, which was signed during a visit by Netanyahu to Washington, D.C. The sanctions allow the U.S. to block assets, bar travel to the U.S., and target individuals involved in the ICC’s prosecution efforts against “protected persons” from the U.S. and Israel. Trump’s move follows a failed Senate Republican effort to pass similar sanctions last week. The ICC, backed by 125 nations—including Canada, Britain, Australia, and Japan—prosecutes war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are among the other countries to reject its authority.
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