Dutch Min. disappointed by Trump's sanctions against ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant
Minister Caspar Veldkamp of Foreign Affairs is disappointed by the sanctions United States President Donald Trump imposed via decree on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The sanctions are intended as punishment for the ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
“The Netherlands regrets the executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. The court’s work is essential in the fight against impunity,” Veldkamp said on X. “The Netherlands actively contributes to strengthening the international legal order and multilateral cooperation and will, in good faith, fulfill binding international law and treaty obligations.”
The ICC was established to prosecute people worldwide for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. 125 countries around the world are members of the court, including the Netherlands. The U.S., China, Russia, and Israel are not.
The ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defense Minister in November, sparking outrage from the Israeli and U.S. governments. Netanyahu is currently visiting the U.S. The American sanctions consist of financial penalties and visa restrictions for people who help the ICC with investigating American citizens and U.S. allies.
Last week, the Republican majority in the Senate tried to implement sanctions against the ICC via parliament but was blocked by Democratic senators, according to NOS. Trump, therefore, had to take a different route and implement sanctions via presidential decree.
Trump’s previous administration also targeted the ICC with sanctions in 2020, sanctioning the then chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her staff for investigating possible American war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC, therefore, anticipated sanctions from this administration too and paid its staff three months’ salary in advance last month, sources told Reuters.
