President Donald Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court, accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.The measure places financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies. In January, the US House of Representatives voted to sanction the ICC after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes allegations in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.At the time, the ICC said it “regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality”.The US is not a member of the ICC and has repeatedly rejected any jurisdiction by the body over American officials or citizens. The order says that the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” that endanger Americans 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,” the order says. The White House accuses the Hague-based ICC of creating a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants for the Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander at the same time, according to a fact sheet circulated by the White House earlier. The White House believes the ICC is placing constraints on Israel’s right to self-defence, while accusing the body of ignoring Iran and anti-Israel groups. Trump has repeatedly criticised the ICC, and took several steps to sanction the body during his first term in office. At the time, he …
