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HomeWorld NewsTrump signs order sanctioning International Criminal Court | Global News Avenue

Trump signs order sanctioning International Criminal Court | Global News Avenue

Trump signs order sanctioning International Criminal Court

Bernd Debusmann Jr

BBC News, White House

Getty Images Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Getty Images

Trump previously approved ICC officials during his 2020 term.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that approved the International Criminal Court, accusing “illegal and unfounded actions against the United States and our ally Israel.”

The measure imposes financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist the ICC in investigating U.S. citizens or allies.

Trump signed the measure, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Washington.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, suspected of crimes denied in Gaza in Israel. The International Criminal Court also issued an arrest warrant for Commander Hamas.

Watch: Netanyahu Gift Trump during US Visit

The Netherlands, the main court, said it “repent” Trump’s order.

“The work of the court is crucial to the struggle for impunity,” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on X.

The White House memo was circulated on Thursday, accusing the The Hague-based ICC of simultaneously issuing arrest warrants, establishing a “shameful moral equality” between Hamas and Israel.

Trump’s executive order says the recent actions taken by the ICC “set dangerous precedents” that expose Americans to “harassment, abuse and possible arrests” that endanger Americans.

“This vicious act in turn has the potential to violate U.S. sovereignty and undermine critical national security and foreign policy efforts of the U.S. government and our allies, including Israel,” the order said.

The United States is not a member of the ICC and repeatedly denies any jurisdiction of the agency over U.S. officials or citizens.

The White House accused the International Criminal Court of imposing restrictions on Israel’s right to self-defense while ignoring Iran and anti-Israeli groups.

Trump has imposed sanctions on ICC officials during his first term, and they are investigating whether U.S. troops have committed war crimes in Afghanistan. These sanctions were lifted by President Joe Biden’s administration.

Reuters walked through the rubble of damaged buildings in the Northern Gaza Strip on January 30, 2025, InjabaliaReuters

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to sanction the International Criminal Court, but the bill was established in the Senate.

More than 120 countries are members of the court, including many European countries, but neither does the United States.

The International Criminal Court is the last resort court and intervenes only if the state authorities cannot or cannot prosecute.

“Both countries (the United States and Israel) are thriving democracies in military forces that strictly abide by the laws of war,” Trump’s executive order said.

Can Trump really own Gaza?

In the final weeks of his tenure, President Biden also criticized the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, calling the move “outrageous” and said there is no equivalent between Israel and Hamas.

Trump announced his latest executive order at a joint press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister on Tuesday, which announced the plan on Tuesday that the U.S. “take over” Gaza, relocate its Palestinian population and will The territory became the “Rivera in the Middle” East.

The U.S. president reiterated the idea on Thursday’s truth-seeking social media platform after Arab leaders and the United Nations condemned the idea.

“Israel will hand over the Gaza Strip to the United States at the end of the battle,” Trump wrote.

He repeated that the plan would involve resettlement of Palestinians and would not deploy any U.S. soldiers.

His post has not yet been explicitly invited to return 2 million residents in the Palestinian territory, while officials scramble to explain.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that any displacement is temporary.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Gazans will leave the “temporary” period during the reconstruction period.

Netanyahu praised Trump’s “extraordinary” plan to remake Gaza. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Katz ordered the military to prepare for the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents.

He said the plan will include departures through land, sea and air.

When Netanyahu continued his visit to Washington, Trump signed the order to meet with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The Israeli Prime Minister also showed Trump a gold medal.

The gift refers to the deadly action against Israel on Hezbollah last September, which uses a wide range of communications equipment.

According to Lebanese officials, dozens of people were killed and thousands were injured in the attack, including some civilians.

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