GUWAHATI, Feb 7: American President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as he accused it of unfairly targeting the United States and Israel.
Trump signed the order while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington DC on a visit to the US.
Reports said the move follows ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last November over his alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The ICC had also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.
Former US President Joe Biden had also condemned ICC’s decision with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress opposing the move.
Although the US House of Representatives had in January passed a bill to sanction the ICC, it was blocked in the Senate.
The US is not a member of the ICC and Trump’s order will now place financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families assisting ICC investigations of American citizens or US allies.
Meanwhile, Israel on Friday praised US President Trump for imposing sanctions on the ICC, calling the court’s actions against Israel “immoral” and illegitimate, news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
