For decades, US leaders have armed and shielded Israel while it carries out atrocities against Palestinians, always escaping accountability. But that may be changing.
On 19 January, US-based NGO Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) submitted a 169-page communication to International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan, calling on it to launch investigations into former US officials, such as President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
The document accuses the three of playing a direct role in the provision of nearly $18 billion worth of military support that boosted Israel’s capacity for its onslaught against Palestinians since 8 October 2023. The filing also calls for investigations into other key former Biden administration officials.
DAWN noted that although the United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the ICC has ‘subject matter, territorial, and geographic jurisdiction over US officials in its ongoing investigation into violations’ of the statute in Palestine. ‘We have tried every available avenue within the US to stop our government’s complicity,’ said Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director.
Middle East Eye reports that DAWN submitted the document on 19 January, during the Biden administration’s final days, ‘but didn’t make it public, hoping to avoid the US government’s initial period of transition from the Biden administration to Donald Trump’s administration.’
On 6 February, Trump issued an executive order for sanctions against ICC officials to punish them for their investigation of Israeli officials, on which the US Treasury Department followed through. However, the order could subject Trump to individual criminal liability for obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, DAWN said. Trump has also proposed a plan to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza and take it over.
Sources:
https://dawnmena.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DAWN-ICC-Jan-2025-final.pdf