ICC condemns Trump's executive order against it, Israel welcomes it

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday condemned the executive order that President Donald Trump signed a day earlier to impose sanctions on its members.

The U.S. leader took aim at the court for investigating alleged Israeli war crimesin the Gaza Strip and for its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ICC said in a statement that it "condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work."

"The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it," the ICC added.

The Court also "on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights."

Israel welcomes the signing of the order against the ICC

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated Trump on the signing of the executive order sanctioning ICC members.

"I strongly commend @POTUS President Trump's executive order imposing sanctions on the so-called 'international criminal court,'" Sa'ar said on X.

"The ICC aggressively pursues the elected leaders of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East," he added.

The minister further argued that "The ICC has no jurisdiction - Israel and the U.S. are not parties to the Rome Statute and are not members of the ICC. They are thriving democracies with militaries strictly adhering to international law."

"The ICC's actions are immoral and have no legal basis. The ICC does not abide by international law. It undermines international law!" the Israeli official concluded.

Dozens of ICC member countries condemn the order

Dozens of countries joined the ICC in condemning Trump's executive order. In a joint statement, the authorities of 79 member nations of the court warned that the American president's measure could "increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law."

"Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices," added the 79 countries, representing about two-thirds of ICC member nations.

What the executive order against the ICC outlines

The order includes a declaration of national emergency to respond to what it describes as the ICC's "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."

"The ICC's recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse and possible arrest," the order states.

The sanctions order imposes "tangible and significant consequences" on court personnel, including a block on property and assets, and a ban on entry into the United States for sanctioned individuals and their families.

Trump's order does not single out any individuals to be sanctioned, although it mentions a "person listed in the annex to this order." The White House has not yet released that annex.

It should be noted that neither the United States nor Israel is a member of the tribunal, which is an independent entity in The Hague and not part of the United Nations. Both Washington and Jerusalem have argued that they are outside the jurisdiction of the court.