Yakoota Al Ahmad and Ikram Kouachi
07 February 2025•Update: 07 February 2025
ISTANBUL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump on Friday for imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel's relentless bombardment in the Palestinian enclave since Oct. 7, 2023 killed more than 47,000 people and made it uninhabitable. The military campaign is currently suspended due to a ceasefire.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your bold ICC Executive Order,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
He said the order "will defend America and Israel from the anti-American and antisemitic corrupt court that has no jurisdiction or basis to engage in lawfare against us."
He accused the ICC of waging “a ruthless campaign against Israel,” claiming it to be “a trial run for action against America.”
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC for "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."
He said the court, created in 2002, has no jurisdiction over the US or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC.
The sanctions include freezing any US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the country.
Trump had also imposed sanctions on ICC officials in 2020 for investigating alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan.
