US Sanctions on ICC Meet Wide Global Opposition; Israel Lone Public Backer

NEW YORK: The US decision on Friday to impose sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) has drawn wide opposition worldwide, including from close allies. The move has exposed a diplomatic divide over international justice as the court pursues Israeli leaders accused of war crimes in Gaza.
Six European countries, Canada and Japan jointly rejected the sanctions, while the European Union and UN Secretary-General António Guterres separately condemned them. Announcing the measures, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “Either the ICC ends its threats, or we will end the ICC.” The development follows the November 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, and long-standing US opposition to the court’s jurisdiction over Americans. Neither the US nor Israel is a member of the ICC, which has 125 member states.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, together with their Canadian and Japanese counterparts, expressed strong disagreement with the sanctions and reaffirmed “unwavering” support for the court’s independence, impartiality and integrity. The eight countries warned the measures could significantly affect the court’s work, staff and their families, and pledged to work together to uphold international accountability. Switzerland separately opposed measures undermining the court’s independence. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said: “We will do whatever it takes to defend the ICC.” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot strongly condemned the sanctions and called for activating the EU’s blocking statute to protect the court and those supporting it.
The European Commission called Washington’s announcement deeply regrettable and said the EU is ready to take any necessary steps to let the court continue its investigations and prosecutions and to protect EU operators in the single market. It said the six-month period before the sanctions take effect offers room for dialogue with Washington. European Council President António Costa said the EU would adopt appropriate measures to protect the court, its members and staff.
Guterres, through his spokesperson, said the decision is a serious blow to the collective pursuit of international criminal justice, of which the ICC is a key pillar, and urged states to uphold their obligations under international law.
The ICC rejected the US measures as an attack on the rule of law and an attempt to obstruct justice. ICC President Tomoko Akane, who was personally sanctioned by Washington in August, said the court will continue to carry out its duties independently and impartially, based solely on law and evidence. The court urged its 125 member states to take concrete steps to protect its role.
Israel was the only government to welcome the sanctions as of Friday. Netanyahu praised Trump and Rubio, writing on X: “The ICC is not a court. It is a political body.”