The U.S. and Israel had previously criticized the Hague-based court for opening the door to a probe into Israeli war crimes accused.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.S. President Joe Biden not to lift sanctions imposed on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials by former President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a report by Axios.
The Biden administration had promised a “thorough review” of the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, which had accused The Hague-based tribunal of violating U.S. sovereignty by allows investigation of alleged war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Israel has put more pressure on the ICC after its ruling in early February that the jurisdiction of the court extends to the Palestinian-occupied areas, paving the way for it to open investigations into the crimes committed by the war. both Israelis and Palestinians, according to the report.
Israel and the US sharply criticized the court’s revelation, with Israel accusing the court of “genuine anti-Semitism” and the U.S. saying it had “genuine concerns” about the court’s decision and blaming it. to which they were reviewing the rule.
Neither party is in Rome Statute, the treaty established by the ICC, and both have tried to protect their citizens from prosecution in court.
Washington, however, has supported and connected with the court in various forms since taking office in 2002.
The fight over the sovereignty of the court has challenged the early administration of Biden, which is trying to re-engage in multilateral groups.
Israel, meanwhile, has urged allies to pressure ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, one of the officials currently under U.S. sanctions, not to act on proceed with any investigation involving Israelis.
On February 13, British lawyer Karim Khan was elected as the next ICC prosecutor to replace Bensouda, who will retire in June. Khan, 50, led the United Nations into a feud with the armed group ISIL (ISIS).
Axios said Israeli diplomats are urging U.S. officials to hold the sanctions as a lever and that the issue was also raised during a call-up between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Israeli counterpart Gabriel Ashkenazi.