The Netherlands is bracing for the United States to impose potentially devastating sanctions on the International Criminal Court, according to Dutch and government officials familiar with the matter. These officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, indicated that U.S. authorities have warned The Hague-based court's host nation about the impending measures.
These sanctions are reportedly a response to the ICC's investigations into officials from the United States and Israel, neither of which are member states of the court. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with the war in Gaza. Both Netanyahu and Israel have denied the allegations.
The United States has previously taken action against ICC personnel, sanctioning over a dozen current and former staff members, including half of the court’s judges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described these actions as a "sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court."
Sanctions, typically reserved for autocrats, terrorists, and cartels, can have severe consequences. They could hinder the court's ability to access financial and IT services, and even prevent it from paying its U.S. employees. In 2025, when the court's former chief prosecutor was sanctioned, he faced frozen bank accounts, lost access to his Microsoft email, and was barred from entering the United States.
Sources indicate that U.S. officials warned their Dutch counterparts that sanctions could be imposed as early as Monday and encouraged the Netherlands to withdraw from the ICC. The U.S. is not a member of the court, nor are other major global powers like Russia, China, and India.
The ICC has been preparing for the possibility of sanctions for months. The court has reportedly migrated from Microsoft products to a German software provider and changed insurance and financial providers to companies without a U.S. presence. Dutch and court officials are reportedly seeking a six-month grace period before any sanctions take effect, to allow the institution time to sever ties with American companies, which could face penalties for non-compliance.
The European Union's "blocking statute" may offer some protection to European court staff by preventing EU companies from adhering to U.S. measures, though its applicability to the ICC itself, as an international body, remains unclear. While EU citizens are entitled to a basic bank account, this does not guarantee access to U.S. payment facilities or credit cards.
A small number of the court's member states have recently announced plans to leave the institution, including Venezuela and Chad. Chad specifically cited U.S. concerns about the ICC's functioning as a factor in its decision to withdraw, according to a statement from its Foreign Minister.