United States sanctions international criminal court
The U.S. government is set to announce sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) by this week in response to the issuance of warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza.
Washington had previously implemented individual sanctions, targeting ICC judges and prosecutors, but listing the entire organization sanctions represented a significant uplift, which could affect the day-to-day operations of the court, from payroll payments, access to bank accounts, to the use of office software.
The United States State Department stated that the ICC "claims unfounded jurisdiction" over U.S. and Israeli personnel, reiterating that Washington will take further measures to protect its national interests, pointing out that the United States and Israel are not members of the ICC and do not recognize the authority of such a court.
In addition to the administration's stance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio came forward with a heated criticism of the court's role, stating: "It is a threat to national security and is used as an instrument of lawfare against the United States and its allies like Israel."
On the official side, the ICC held an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the potential measures as several member states prepared to move in the United Nations General Assembly forum in New York to push for resistance to the U.S. stance.
