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UNITED NATIONS: President Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court immediately, calling it \u201cevil\u201d and \u201ca rogue institution,\u201d but only Naoero, a tiny Pacific island nation \u200bformerly known as Nauru, has followed suit during the UN General Assembly this week.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s appeal on Tuesday capped an escalating US campaign against the Hague-based court, which Washington says oversteps its authority by claiming jurisdiction over citizens of countries, including the United States and Israel, that have not ratified its founding treaty known as the Rome Statute.<\/p>\n
While a handful of countries have moved to leave the ICC, many governments, particularly in Europe, have rallied to defend the Netherlands-based court as a cornerstone of international justice. Parties to the statute include 125 countries.<\/p>\n Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten, addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, said the court is \u201cunder attack\u201d and at risk, without mentioning the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can you possibly be opposed to \u200cprosecuting the very worst \u200ccrimes?\u201d he asked. \u201cAnd I believe there can be only one response. To say: \u200bhands \u200coff \u2060the ICC, \u200band \u2060all those other institutions that protect the international legal order.\u201d The remarks drew loud applause from delegates.<\/p>\n The US has imposed financial sanctions and visa bans on court staff, and officials have prepared sanctions that could undercut the court\u2019s ability to operate, sources familiar with the matter said.<\/p>\n \u2019Dismantle the ICC\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a diplomatic push to \u201cdismantle the ICC \u2014 brick by brick, if necessary,\u201d claiming the court posed a threat to American service members and those carrying out Trump\u2019s deportations of migrants and strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats.<\/p>\n Trump has said the campaign is aimed at protecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against whom \u2060the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 alongside his then-defense minister and a Hamas military \u200ccommander over the Gaza war.<\/p>\n Since Rubio announced the campaign, Venezuela and \u200cChad have announced plans to withdraw from the court. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger \u200bannounced their exits the previous year, denouncing the court as \u200can instrument of \u201cneocolonial repression.\u201d<\/p>\n Naoero President David Adeang said in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday \u200che would formally withdraw his country from the Rome Statute due to the ICC\u2019s \u201cincreasing irrelevance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNaoero joins a growing number of nations standing up for their sovereignty against the ICC\u2019s illegitimate overreach,\u201d US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre said on X after meeting the island nation\u2019s deputy foreign minister.<\/p>\n Defending the court<\/strong><\/p>\n The European Union rallied behind the court and officials have discussed drawing up a blocking \u200cstatute in response to the potential US sanctions.<\/p>\n EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters this week the bloc had options to defend the court.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the tools \u2060in our toolbox when \u2060it gets really serious, how to defend ICC, and here (at the UN) we are rallying countries behind supporting the ICC functioning and the accountability part because it\u2019s not only a European issue; it\u2019s much broader than that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Tomoko Akane, the ICC president already under US sanctions, is a Japanese national. Japan\u2019s government called the proposed sanctions \u201cvery unfortunate\u201d and dispatched an official to The Hague to discuss how it could support her.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi noted Japan\u2019s support for the ICC in her address to the General Assembly on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the end of the Second World War, Japan, as a peace-loving nation, has attached great importance to the rule of law in the settlement of any disputes,\u201d Takaichi said.<\/p>\n Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said many countries remain invested in the ICC\u2019s mission of accountability, limiting the impact of Washington\u2019s campaign against the court. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin targeted the ICC after it issued a \u200bwarrant for his arrest.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump administration has managed \u200bto align itself with Putin in terms of, you know, imposing targeting ICC personnel with sanctions, and of course, Putin would also benefit from the destruction of the court,\u201d Finucane said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n