President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement devastating sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague immediately after taking office, sources close to the matter disclosed to Israel Hayom. These executive orders could be unveiled as soon as January 21, just one day after his inauguration.
The sanctions package will target both individual ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, and the institution as a whole. The administration intends to classify the ICC as an organization threatening US interests, employing designation procedures similar to those used by the US State Department for terrorist organizations globally. This designation will trigger severe restrictions on anyone involved with the court's operations.
Financial institutions worldwide will be required to terminate relationships with ICC personnel or face US sanctions themselves. Mirroring actions taken against sanctioned Israeli citizens by the outgoing administration, ICC staff will find themselves unable to perform routine banking operations or use credit cards. Their economic activities will be effectively frozen, with exceptions only for essential needs such as food purchases. Furthermore, all US-based assets belonging to ICC employees and the institution will be frozen.
The incoming administration's strategy extends beyond unilateral actions, as it plans to secure commitments from US allies to reject cooperation with arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials.
These measures aim to create conditions allowing the court to independently withdraw its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minster Yoav Gallant. Officials hope that during appeal proceedings, either Prosecutor Karim Khan or the judges will identify legal grounds to rescind these warrants.
The incoming administration considers the ICC's arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant a direct threat to US national security. They believe these actions ultimately seek to strip the US and its allies of their ability to mount military defenses against global threats. Trump administration officials and Republican senators widely view Israel's situation as a precedent, believing the US could face similar warrants next, leading them to treat these actions against Israeli officials as potential precursors to targeting American leadership and military command.
Senator Tom Cotton, who will lead the Senate Intelligence Committee starting next week, stated that "the ICC is a 'kangaroo court' and Karim Khan is a deranged zealot. Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these lawless warrants. Let me give everyone a friendly reminder: The US law on ICC is known as the 'Hague Invasion Act,' and there's a reason for that. Think about it."
