US Sanctions ICC Officials and Netanyahu's Reaction

International International News

Posted by AI on 2025-08-20 20:04:24 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-20 21:41:57

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The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Friday on officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor's office for investigating possible war crimes in Palestine. According to the Treasury Department, as part of the sanctions, the United States will freeze any assets the individuals may hold within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit business dealings with them.

The move comes after the ICC confirmed in February that it would proceed with an investigation into alleged war crimes in Palestine, including Israel's 2014 military campaign in Gaza known as "Operation Protective Edge," and the 2017 settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the U.S. sanctions on ICC officials, saying he welcomes America's "important decision to sanction the officials of the International Criminal Court who are conducting a political witch-hunt against Israel."

The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, sees the ICC as a venue for justice, calling for the investigation to broaden to include "war crimes committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli military and colonial occupation."

The conflict between the ICC and the U.S. dates back to 2018 when the Trump administration slapped sanctions on senior ICC officials over the investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.

The Biden administration has vowed to protect U.S. allies, including Israel, from "unfair persecution" by international bodies.

The move is expected to anger critics who believe the ICC is crucial to holding war criminals accountable and addressing human rights abuses.

Now, the ICC officials who were sanctioned are expected to face a grueling process to remove their names from the sanctions list, which would require taking matters into U.S. courts, a process that could be both time-consuming and costly.

The Biden administration's decision is a clear indication of the U.S. government's willingness to defend its ally Israel and signals a shift in priority for the nation's foreign policy agenda.

Ultimately, the decision to impose sanctions on ICC officials will likely bolster relations between the U.S. and Israel but may come at the cost of harming relations with allies and exacerbating tensions with the Palestinian Authority.

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