in Featured World News Trump Sanctions ICC: ‘Threatens To Infringe Upon The Sovereignty Of The United States’
By Hank Berrien
“ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent …”
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating that the ICC “engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
Neither the United States nor Israel recognizes the court or is a member. “The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,” the executive order stated. “The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC. … The ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest. This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel.”
Trump warned allies of the U.S., “The United States unequivocally opposes and expects our allies to oppose any ICC actions against the United States, Israel, or any other ally of the United States that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction. The United States remains committed to accountability and to the peaceful cultivation of international order, but the ICC and parties to the Rome Statute must respect the decisions of the United States and other countries not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.”