According to the executive order, Washington “would impose tangible and significant consequences” on ICC officials working on investigations that threaten the national security of the United States and its allies, including Israel.

“The Court firmly supports its staff and is committed to continuing to provide justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities around the world, in all situations that may be presented to it,” the court said in a press release.

The directive is the US government’s reaction to arrest warrants issued in November by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes related to the armed conflict in Gaza.

The ICC was created by the Rome Statute, but is a fully independent court charged with trying the most serious crimes, including crimes against humanity.

Although 125 countries signed the Statute, negotiated within the United Nations, neither the United States nor Israel recognize the jurisdiction of the body, which began operating in 2022.

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