Dozens of nations reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, following US President Donald Trump’s authorization of potential economic and travel sanctions against ICC personnel.
In a joint statement quoted by Reuters, nearly 80 countries expressed their backing for the court’s mission and independence.
"We reaffirm our continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality and integrity of the ICC," they stated. "The court serves as a vital pillar of the international justice system by ensuring accountability for the most serious international crimes, and justice for victims."
The signatories represented a broad geographical range but accounted for only about two-thirds of the 125 member states of the ICC.
France, Germany, and Britain were among those endorsing the statement, while several notable absentees included Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy.
The statement comes a day after Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC.
The executive order states that the ICC “has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
“The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.”
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC. Neither country has ever recognized the ICC's jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war. 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.
Last month, the House of Representatives approved legislation aimed at sanctioning officials from the ICC in wake of the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
However, Democrats blocked the bill from passing in the Senate. The final vote count was 54-45, falling short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan recently defended his decision to pursue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, claiming that Israel had made “no real effort” to independently investigate claims that it committed war crimes.
“We're here as a court of last resort and... as we speak right now, we haven’t seen any real effort by the State of Israel to take action that would meet the established jurisprudence, which is investigations regarding the same suspects for the same conduct,” Khan claimed to Reuters.
“That can change, and I hope it does,” he added, speaking after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)