United States President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court for its “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.

In the order published by the White House, Trump claimed that the court asserted its jurisdiction and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the US and its close ally, Israel, without a legitimate basis.

The US president was referring to the investigations undertaken by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes by US service members in Afghanistan and Israeli troops in Gaza, AFP reported.

Trump also accused the court of abusing its power by issuing “baseless arrest warrants” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of committing war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza.

Neither the US nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the International Criminal Court, and neither country has ever recognised the court’s jurisdiction, Trump said on Thursday.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the court. It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy in 1998 and came into force in 2002.

The order said that “the ICC [International Criminal Court] has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel” and added that it had set a “dangerous precedent” with its actions against both nations.

It said that Washington would impose “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the “transgressions” of the International Criminal Court, including blocking property and assets, and barring court officials, employees and their relatives from entering the US.

“I therefore determine that any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute protected persons, as defined in section 8(d) of this order, constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to address that threat,” Trump said in the order.

Section 8(d) defined what the order meant by “protected persons”, which includes any US citizen and also allies of Washington.

A 2002 legislation allows Washington to free any American or US ally detained by the court, Reuters reported.

The order on Thursday was signed during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.

It also comes amid a ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on January 19.

More than 47,700 persons, including over 17,400 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza. This came immediately after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel retaliated by carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza. About 400 Israeli soldiers died in the conflict.

On Tuesday, Trump claimed that the US would “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip after “permanently” resettling Palestinians outside the besieged territory.

At a joint press briefing with Netanyahu in the White House, Trump reiterated his proposal that Palestinians living in Gaza should be placed in other countries in West Asia, including Jordan and Egypt, while the US developed the territory.

Netanyahu said that Trump’s suggestion of a US takeover of the Gaza Strip was a “worthwhile” pursuit.