US considers imposing sanctions against ICC

The United States is reportedly considering imposing sanctions on the entire International Criminal Court, or ICC, within a matter of days, potentially jeopardizing its daily operations, which currently include investigating suspected Israeli war crimes.

Authorities in Washington have previously imposed sanctions on specific individuals working for the Netherlands-based court; however, targeting the entire organization would be a significant escalation of confrontation.

Reuters quoted several sources with knowledge of the matter as saying that so-called entity sanctions were expected soon, and that emergency meetings had already taken place within the court to assess and prepare for their impact.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant have both been indicted by the court over alleged crimes committed during Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza. Leading figures in the Hamas militant group, whose attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, triggered the current eruption of the conflict between the two sides, have also been indicted. The Times of Israel newspaper reported that Israeli forces have subsequently killed all the indicted Hamas officials.

A spokesperson for the US State Department accused the court of asserting what it called its "purported jurisdiction" over US and Israeli personnel and suggested that Washington would not back down over the issue.

"It (the ICC) has the opportunity to change course by making critical and appropriate structural changes," said the spokesperson. "The US will take additional steps to protect our brave service members and others as long as the ICC continues to present a threat to our national interests."

The Times of Israel also quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying, "The road of individual sanctions has been exhausted. It is now more about when, rather than if, they will take the next step."

Reuters reported that some ICC staff had been paid their salary in advance, in case potential sanctions included actions that would disrupt the court's software and banking capabilities, and that alternative financial services suppliers were already being sought.