Trump indicators order sanctioning Worldwide Legal Court docket

President Donald Trump has signed an government order sanctioning the Worldwide Legal Court docket, accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions focusing on America and our shut ally Israel”.

The measure locations monetary and visa restrictions on people and their households who help in ICC investigations of Americans or allies.

Trump signed the measure as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting Washington.

Final November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged struggle crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC additionally issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.

The Netherlands, which hosts the courtroom, mentioned it “regrets” Trump’s order.

“The courtroom’s work is important within the combat towards impunity,” Dutch Overseas Minister Caspar Veldkamp mentioned on X.

A White Home memo circulated on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of making a “shameful ethical equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants on the identical time.

Trump’s government order mentioned the ICC’s latest actions “set a harmful precedent” that endangered People by exposing them to “harassment, abuse and potential arrest”.

“This malign conduct in flip threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the USA and undermines the vital nationwide safety and overseas coverage work of the USA authorities and our allies, together with Israel,” the order mentioned.

The US will not be a member of the ICC and has repeatedly rejected any jurisdiction by the physique over American officers or residents.

The White Home accused the ICC of inserting constraints on Israel’s proper to self-defence, whereas ignoring Iran and anti-Israel teams.

In his first time period in workplace, Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officers who had been investigating whether or not US forces had dedicated struggle crimes in Afghanistan. These sanctions had been lifted by President Joe Biden’s administration.

Final month, the US Home of Representatives voted to sanction the ICC, however the invoice foundered within the Senate.

Greater than 120 international locations are members of the courtroom, together with many European nations, however the US nor Israel usually are not.

The ICC is a courtroom of final resort and is supposed to intervene solely when nationwide authorities can not or won’t prosecute.

Trump’s government order mentioned that “each nations [the US and Israel] are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the legal guidelines of struggle”.

Throughout his final weeks in workplace, President Biden additionally criticised the ICC’s warrant for Netanyahu, calling the transfer “outrageous” and saying there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

Trump’s signing of his newest government order follows his announcement throughout a joint press convention with the Israeli prime minister on Tuesday a couple of plan for the US to “take over” Gaza, resettle its Palestinian inhabitants and switch the territory into the “Riviera of the Center East”.

After Arab leaders and the UN condemned the thought, the US president restated it on his Reality Social social media platform on Thursday.

“The Gaza Strip could be turned over to the USA by Israel on the conclusion of preventing,” Trump wrote, referring to the struggle between Israel and Hamas that’s at the moment beneath a ceasefire.

He repeated that the plan would contain resettling Palestinians, and that no American troopers could be deployed.

His submit didn’t clarify whether or not the 2 million residents of the Palestinian territory could be invited to return, leaving officers scrambling to elucidate.

White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned on Wednesday any displacement could be non permanent.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned Gazans would go away for an “interim” interval whereas reconstruction came about.

Netanyahu has praised Trump’s “exceptional” plan to re-make Gaza. On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the navy to organize for “voluntary departure” of Gaza’s residents.

He mentioned the plan would come with departures by way of land, sea and air.

Trump signed the order as Netanyahu continued his go to to Washington, assembly lawmakers from each the Republican and Democratic events on Capitol Hill.

The Israeli prime minister additionally introduced a golden pager to Trump.

The reward was a reference to Israel’s lethal operation towards Hezbollah in September final yr, utilizing booby-trapped communications units.

Dozens had been killed and hundreds injured within the assaults, together with some civilians, in response to Lebanese officers.