US sanctions ICC chief prosecutor over Israel investigations

The United States on Thursday sanctioned the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court over the ICC's investigations targeting US personnel as well as alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had imposed sanctions against Karim Khan in response to President Donald Trump's February 6 executive order, which called for him to be sanctioned.

The ICC has been investigating Israel's conduct during its war against Hamas in Gaza after October 7, 2023.

People protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has ongoing investigations into potential atrocity crimes carried out by Hamas in Israel, and by Israelis in the Gaza Strip going back to 2014, and which also covers the current conflict, in The Hague, Netherlands October 18, 2023.Reuters

Khan, who is a British national, was responsible for the request that led the ICC to issue arrest warrants late last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

The court said it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare during the Gaza conflict, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

Alongside its probe into Israel, the ICC has also been investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity alleged to have been carried out during the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021.

In his executive order, Trump accused the ICC of engaging in "illegitimate and baseless actions" targeting the United States and its ally Israel -- neither of which are ICC members.

Trump added that the Hague-based court had "abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants" targeting Netanyahu and Gallant, and he ordered asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members.

The ICC condemned Trump's executive order, which it said sought to "harm its independent and impartial judicial work."

This is not the first time Trump has targeted ICC officials: During his first term, he imposed financial sanctions and a visa ban on the ICC's then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and other senior officials.

Joe Biden lifted those sanctions soon after he became president in 2021.