Germany Rejected Trump's Call to Withdraw from the ISS
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for member states to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to him, the German government has no plans to leave the court, which Wadepfull described as an important international institution.
“We will certainly not do that,” the minister said, commenting on Trump’s call.
According to Wadeful, Germany will continue to support the International Criminal Court despite differences with the U.S. administration.
On Tuesday, September 22, during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Donald Trump called on all ICC member states to withdraw from the organization. He also criticized the court for its actions regarding U.S. military personnel and Israeli leaders.
Wadeful, for his part, stated: “To be honest, I don’t really understand this call.”
The German foreign minister called the situation “one of those areas where we really have to acknowledge a regrettable policy divergence with the U.S. administration.”
He emphasized that the ICC is part of a rules-based international order and an important mechanism for holding perpetrators accountable for the most serious crimes.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague was established by the Rome Statute and began operations in 2002. The Court hears cases involving genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression within the jurisdiction provided for by the Statute.
One reason for Washington’s sharp criticism is the ICC’s activities in the case involving Israel and the war in Gaza, specifically the arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction as a state party.
At the same time, the ICC has 125 states parties to the Rome Statute. Among the states that are not parties to it are the U.S., Israel, Russia, and Turkey. Certain states have also decided to withdraw from the treaty in various years.
Germany remains a party to the Rome Statute and supports the work of the ICC, particularly its investigations into the most serious international crimes.
Wadeful stated this in an interview with dpa.
In the United States, President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing broad economic sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), which could ban most financial and commercial transactions with the court.
The President of the International Criminal Court, Tomoko Akane, has stated her readiness to defend the court’s work and resist pressure from the United States following the imposition of U.S. sanctions against it.
