According to Reuters report on July 31st, during a cabinet meeting on Friday local time, U.S. President Trump argued that the campaign initiated by the United States to dismantle the International Criminal Court was aimed at protecting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and others from being prosecuted, not for his own protection.
In recent years, the US has repeatedly announced sanctions against judges and prosecutors of that court, citing reasons such as ICC investigations into US personnel, as well as arrest warrants issued against the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defense Minister.
According to reports, before Trump made these remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo revealed at a meeting that since the United States launched actions against the ICC earlier this month, five countries have announced plans to withdraw from the court.
"There is no information indicating they were targeting me," Trump said next.
"It's possible, but you should know that... he (Rubio) is not acting to protect me. He is doing it to protect ‘Bibi’ (Natanyahu's nickname) and some others," he added. "But many people shouldn't be treated in that way. There isn't any indication right now that I am one of them."
Rubio continued by saying that the greatest risk currently lies with American military personnel, who may face prosecution for actions related to warfare in several years.
The International Criminal Court was established in 2002, located in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its main function is to prosecute and judge individuals who commit genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or aggression. China, Russia, and the United States, all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have not joined this treaty. The United States signed the Rome Statue on December 31, 2000, but withdrew its signature before it was approved by Congress.
In mid-July, the U.S. State Department announced the launch of an initiative involving multiple government departments, aimed at “dismantling” the ICC. The goal is to systematically weaken its ability to take action against American military personnel or government officials, or to otherwise “threaten U.S. sovereignty.”
The former executive director of human rights organizations, Kenneth Roth, told The Guardian, “The ICC does not claim jurisdiction over actions occurring within the United States. Rubio, under the guise of national sovereignty, ignores the attempts by other sovereign nations to seek immunity for war crimes committed in their territories.”
Ross further pointed out that he was worried the Trump administration might still try to avoid future scrutiny by using this as a way to escape accountability. He said: "Trump wants to commit war crimes on territories under ICC jurisdiction without facing any consequences, and that's the crux of the issue."
