EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni. File photo
On Monday, the Trump administration said it would pressure countries to withdraw from the Hague-based court and take further measures to weaken its operations, accusing the ICC of posing "an intolerable threat to US sovereignty."
The State Department said the campaign would "systematically disable the ICC's ability to operate" and prevent it from pursuing cases involving US personnel or officials.
"We are strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity. Attacks or threats against the court-elected officials, personnel or those cooperating with the court, are simply not acceptable," EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said.
The move escalates Washington's response to the ICC's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.
In February 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, the US imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several ICC officials over the warrants.
The United States, like Israel, is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and rejects the court's jurisdiction over its own nationals and Israelis.
In June, three ICC judges sanctioned by the Trump administration sued the president and other senior US officials, arguing that the sanctions were unlawful.
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Despite an October 2025 ceasefire, Israel has continued carrying out attacks on Palestinians in Gaza, killing at least 1,123 Palestinians and wounding over 3,600 others.
This brings the total death toll since Israel's war on Gaza erupted in October 2023 to more than 73,200, with over 173,700 people wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israel's nearly three-year war on the Palestinian territory has been characterized as genocide by numerous experts and human rights groups, including the UN International Commission of Inquiry, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered provisional measures requiring Israel to prevent acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention, which Israel has completely ignored and refused to fully comply with.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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