ICC ‘condemns’ US sanctions and vows to ‘proceed offering justice’
The worldwide prison courtroom on Friday hit again after US president Donald Trump signed an government order imposing sanctions on the establishment, vowing it will proceed to supply “justice and hope” all over the world.
“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 courtroom stated in an announcement, reviews Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” added the courtroom, based mostly in The Hague.
Attacking the ICC for what he stated had been “illegitimate and baseless” investigations concentrating on the US and its ally Israel, Trump hit the courtroom with sanctions on Thursday. He ordered asset freezes and journey bans towards ICC officers, staff and their members of the family, together with anybody deemed to have helped the courtroom’s investigations. The names of the people weren’t instantly launched, however earlier US sanctions beneath Trump had focused the courtroom’s prosecutor.
“We call on our 125 states parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,” the ICC assertion concluded.
Key occasions
An Israeli marketing campaign group urged the federal government on Friday to stay with the Gaza truce forward of a fifth hostage-prisoner swap, after explosive feedback by US president Donald Trump raised questions over the way forward for the deal, reviews Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The scheduled change on Saturday comes after Trump declared that the USA would “take over Gaza” and transfer Palestinians out of the territory, sparking uproar throughout the Center East and past.
Israel has since ordered its navy to organize for the “voluntary” relocation of Palestinians in Gaza, whereas Hamas has rejected Trump’s plans as “absolutely unacceptable”.
“An entire nation demands to see the hostages return home … Now is the time to ensure the agreement is completed – until the very last one,” the Hostage and Lacking Households Discussion board stated in an announcement on Friday.
Since 19 January, Israel and Hamas have accomplished 4 swaps as a part of the primary stage of the Gaza ceasefire settlement. The fifth swap is scheduled for Saturday, however as of now, neither facet has disclosed what number of hostages Hamas will launch or what number of prisoners and detainees Israel will free in return.
Amid the uncertainty triggered by Trump’s remarks, Yaela David, whose brother Evyatar continues to be being held in Gaza, urged “the negotiating team to act today to complete the final details of the deal and ensure the return of all hostages”.
“This must happen under this deal, and if not, there will remain a huge black stain on the history of our state,” she stated.
Agence France-Presse has some extra element on the feedback by UN human rights workplace (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani that we reported on earlier (see 11.10am GMT)
Shamdasani stated the worldwide prison courtroom (ICC) was a vital a part of the worldwide human rights infrastructure and that the OHCHR absolutely supported the unbiased work of the courtroom, throughout all conditions inside its jurisdiction.
The courtroom was “fundamental to ensuring justice and achieving accountability for the most serious crimes, whether committed in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, or anywhere else,” she informed Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an electronic mail.
US president Donald Trump signed an government order on Thursday saying the ICC in The Hague had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with Trump on Tuesday.
Trump ordered asset freezes and journey bans towards ICC officers, staff and their members of the family, together with anybody deemed to have helped the courtroom’s investigations.
“We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” stated Shamdasani. She added:
The courtroom needs to be absolutely in a position to undertake its unbiased work – the place a state is unwilling or unable genuinely to hold out the investigation or prosecution.
The rule of regulation stays important to our collective peace and safety. Looking for accountability globally makes the world a safer place for everybody.”
UN calls on Washington to reverse ICC sanctions
The United Nations stated on Friday it deeply regretted US president Donald Trump’s resolution to signal an government order that authorises aggressive financial sanctions towards the worldwide prison courtroom (ICC) and urged him to reverse the transfer.
“We deeply regret the individual sanctions announced yesterday against court personnel, and call for this measure to be reversed,” UN human rights workplace spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated, reviews Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Emma Graham-Harrison
Palestinians in Gaza responded to Donald Trump’s plans with anger and disbelief, and stated they might reject any try to pressure them out.
Many have traumatic household reminiscences of the Nakba, or disaster, of 1948, during which about 700,000 Palestinians fled or had been expelled from their properties within the struggle surrounding Israel’s creation, a historical past which means they’re decided to withstand additional displacement.
Emma Graham-Harrison
Israel’s defence minister has ordered the navy to organize plans to permit Palestinians “who wish to leave” Gaza to exit, after Donald Trump advised the US take over the territory and resettle its residents in different international locations.
A Hamas official attacked the proposal as a “declaration of intent to occupy” Gaza, as Egypt, which Trump named as a attainable vacation spot for Palestinians, launched an intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic marketing campaign to dam it going additional.
Cairo’s envoys warned the US and its allies that it will resist any makes an attempt to maneuver Palestinians throughout the border, and stated the plan threatened its decades-old peace take care of Israel, a template for later regional normalisation offers.
Inside Israel, mainstream political reactions to Trump’s feedback have ranged solely on a spectrum of approval, with the opposition chief Yair Lapid describing the press convention as “good for the state of Israel” and former defence minister Benny Gantz saying Israel had “nothing to lose” from the proposal.
Their positions replicate common opinion inside Israel. Eight out of 10 Jewish Israelis help Trump’s name for the “relocation” of Palestinians from Gaza, though solely half suppose it’s a sensible proposal, based on a ballot by the Jewish Individuals Coverage Institute.
The one robust opposition to the plan got here from a handful of politicians on the far left of Israel’s spectrum; some family members of hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, who stated they feared the challenge might derail the ceasefire deal; and a few activists and journalists who echoed worldwide warnings towards ethnic cleaning.
“If there were a true opposition in Israel, one with a conscience, a worldview and even some sort of plan for the future, it would’ve raised a loud warning: don’t drink Trump’s potion,” Gur Megiddo wrote in a column for Haaretz.
“The idea of clearing an area of a specific ethnic group, even if it’s a bitter and ruthless enemy, is a concept that Jews – especially the sons of Holocaust survivors like Lapid and Gantz – must never support, no matter the circumstances.”
The US deputy particular envoy for the Center East Friday stated that Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon’s new authorities was a crimson line, welcoming the top of the group’s “reign of terror”, reviews Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We have set clear red lines in the United States that they (Hezbollah) won’t be able to terrorise the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government,” Morgan Ortagus stated after assembly Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in Beirut, including:
The top of Hezbollah’s reign of terror in Lebanon and all over the world has began and it’s over”.
The worldwide prison courtroom (ICC) should have the ability to pursue its combat towards world impunity with out hindrance, stated European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, reviews Reuters.
She wrote on X:
The ICC ensures accountability for worldwide crimes and offers a voice to victims worldwide.
It should have the ability to freely pursue the combat towards world impunity.
Europe will all the time stand for justice and the respect of worldwide regulation.”
Anna Betts
Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly gave Donald Trump a “golden pager” throughout their assembly in Washington DC this week, in an obvious reference to Israel’s lethal assault towards Hezbollah in Lebanon final yr.
In pictures circulating on-line, the golden pager might be seen mounted on a chunk of wooden, accompanied by a golden plaque that reads in black lettering: “To President Donald J. Trump, Our greatest friend and greatest ally. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Israeli media reported that the Israeli prime minister, who’s wished by the worldwide prison courtroom for struggle crimes, additionally gave the US president an everyday pager.
The reward was reportedly a nod to Israel’s lethal operation final September towards Hezbollah, throughout which hundreds of handheld pager beeper units and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah detonated concurrently throughout Lebanon.
The explosions killed no less than 37 individuals, together with kids as younger as 9 years previous, and left hundreds wounded.
An Israeli official informed the Related Press that upon receiving the golden pager from Netanyahu, Trump, responded: “That was a major operation.”
Listed here are a number of the newest pictures coming in through the newswires:
Harry Davies
Donald Trump has signed an government order that authorises aggressive financial sanctions towards the worldwide prison courtroom (ICC), accusing the physique of “illegitimate and baseless actions” concentrating on the US and Israel.
The order grants the US president broad powers to impose asset freezes and journey bans towards ICC employees and their members of the family if the US determines that they’re concerned in efforts to analyze or prosecute residents of the US and sure allies.
The hostile motion towards the ICC is available in response to the courtroom’s resolution in November to situation arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged struggle crimes and crimes towards humanity in Gaza.
Within the order, Trump stated the ICC had “abused its power” by issuing the warrants which he claimed had “set a dangerous precedent” that endangered US residents and its navy personnel.
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” he added.
Neither the US nor Israel are member states of the ICC, a everlasting courtroom of final resort for the prosecution of people accused of atrocities. In his order, Trump argued the courtroom should “respect the decision” of nations “not to subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction”.
It was unclear if the Trump administration would announce the names of particular people focused by the sanctions. ICC officers have ready for sanctions to affect senior figures on the courtroom together with its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
