Trump's ICC sanctions backed by Israel amid Netanyahu warrant

Saar voiced approval for President Trump's decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). These measures are in response to the ICC's issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Saar characterised the Tribunal's actions as "immoral and having no legal basis."

Gideon Saar emphasised that the ICC lacks jurisdiction to prosecute Israeli citizens, as Israel, like the United States, is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the Court.

The ICC aggressively pursues the elected leaders of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East - Saar wrote on the X service.

President Trump signed an order imposing sanctions on the ICC and those supporting the Court in prosecuting Americans and representatives of Israeli authorities, as well as other US allies.

The document condemned the ICC's issuance in November 2024 of the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Galant. The Court accuses them of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has consistently rejected the ICC's accusations, describing them as "false, absurd, and anti-Semitic". Saar believes that both the USA and Israel "are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war."

Trump's decision has already been condemned by the ICC and the head of the European Council. "The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work," the Tribunal emphasised in a statement.