U.S. considering blanket sanctions against entire ICC over Israeli war crimes probe

09/24/2025 / By Ramon Tomey

The U.S. is preparing sweeping sanctions targeting the entire ICC, aiming to freeze its banking access, payroll and software, effectively crippling its operations.
The move follows ICC arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu and ex-Defense Minister Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, including starvation tactics.
The court has preemptively paid staff salaries and sought alternative financial providers, while member states plan to resist sanctions at the UN General Assembly.
The Trump and Biden administrations have repeatedly sanctioned ICC officials investigating U.S. or Israeli actions, while Israel has allegedly intimidated ICC staff through surveillance and threats.
Critics warn the sanctions undermine international law, shield war criminals and threaten the ICC’s survival, entrenching impunity for powerful nations.

The United States is preparing unprecedented sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza, according to multiple diplomatic sources. The move, which could cripple the court’s operations, follows years of U.S. hostility toward the ICC and escalating efforts to shield Israeli officials from accountability.

Six anonymous sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Washington is weighing “entity-wide sanctions” that would freeze the ICC’s access to banking services, software and payroll. These punitive measures would effectively paralyze the tribunal’s ability to function. In anticipation, the ICC has already paid staff salaries in advance for the remainder of 2025 and is scrambling to secure alternative financial and technical providers.

The ICC – based in The Hague – has jurisdiction over war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, though neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member state. Despite this, the court recognizes Palestine’s membership, granting it authority to investigate atrocities committed on Palestinian soil.

In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Khan also sought arrest warrants for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, but the tribunal later canceled them.

The second Trump administration has vehemently opposed the ICC’s actions, echoing Tel Aviv’s claim that the court lacks jurisdiction. A U.S. Department of State spokesperson accused the ICC of overstepping its “purported jurisdiction” and vowed further retaliation. “The U.S. will take additional steps to protect our brave service members and others as long as the ICC continues to present a threat to our national interests,” they said. (Related: Washington escalates global confrontation by sanctioning ICC officials.)

Sanctions as censorship: ICC prosecutors silenced for probing war crimes

This latest escalation follows years of U.S. obstruction. In 2020, the first Trump administration imposed sanctions on ICC officials investigating alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The Biden White House lifted those sanctions in 2021, but reinstated them in February 2024 after Khan pursued Netanyahu’s arrest warrant.

Meanwhile, Israel has reportedly engaged in a years-long intimidation campaign against ICC staff, including surveillance and threats, according to The Guardian. “Israel is attempting to intimidate the ICC by signaling its defiance through continued deadly airstrikes in Gaza, aiming to deter accountability for its crimes and maintain global impunity through fear and violence,” Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch engine points out. “This campaign underscores Israel’s broader strategy of using aggression to silence criticism and manipulate international institutions.”

Diplomatic sources say ICC member states plan to push back against U.S. sanctions during the ongoing UN General Assembly session. However, Washington appears undeterred.

“The road of individual sanctions has been exhausted,” a senior diplomat told Reuters. “It is now more about when, rather than if, they will take the next step.”

Critics warn that blanket sanctions would signal U.S. contempt for international law while emboldening war criminals worldwide. By shielding Netanyahu, the U.S. risks further eroding global accountability mechanisms and silencing Palestinian victims. The ICC, already strained by political interference, now faces an existential threat – one that could redefine impunity for powerful nations.

Visit BigGovernment.news for more similar stories.

Listen to the Health Ranger Mike Adams commenting on how U.S. senators are threatening ICC judges over the arrest warrant for senior Israeli officials.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.