Trump administration plans crippling sanctions on ICC

The incoming administration’s strategy extends beyond unilateral actions, as it plans to secure commitments from U.S. allies to reject cooperation with arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials.

By Ariel Kahana, JNS

President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement devastating sanctions against the International Criminal Court 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 Jan. 21.

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 U.S. interests, employing designation procedures similar to those used by the 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 U.S. 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 financial activities will be effectively frozen, with exceptions only for essential needs such as food purchases. Furthermore, all U.S.-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 U.S. 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 Minister Yoav Gallant.

Officials hope that during appeal proceedings, either Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan or the judges will identify legal grounds to rescind these warrants.

The incoming administration considers the ICC’s arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant a direct threat to U.S. national security.

The incoming officials believe these actions ultimately seek to strip the U.S. 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 U.S. could face similar warrants next, leading them to treat these actions against Israeli officials as precursors to targeting American leadership and military command.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who will lead the Senate Intelligence Committee starting this week, said 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 U.S. law on ICC is known as the ‘Hague Invasion Act,’ and there’s a reason for that. Think about it.”