Trump Sanctions International Criminal Court, Terms it Illegitimate

Trump seems to have delved into a never-ending spree of signing contentious executive orders. Starting with withdrawing from WHO (World Health Organization), Paris Climate Agreement, UN Human Rights Council and now terming the ICC (International Criminal Court) illegitimate. The latest executive order signed by Trump has sanctioned the ICC accusing it of illegitimate and baselessly targeting the USA and its close ally Israel.

The ICC is a global court having the power to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It is based in Hague in the Netherlands.

The measure will translate to placing financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies. Trump signed it while Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the US. 

Notably, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu in November last year with allegations of war crimes in Gaza. The ICC issued a warrant against a Hamas commander as well. In recent years, ICC had issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, as well as Taliban leaders for persecuting Afghan girls and women and also Myanmar's military leader for crimes against the Rohingya Muslims.

A White House memo accused the ICC of creating an equivalency between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants at the same time. The memo termed this act shameful. Trump’s executive order termed the ICC's recent actions as setting a dangerous precedent that endangered 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 further reads.

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar has welcomed Trump’s executive order.