Thursday, May 1, 2025 - British lawyer and human rights activist, Amal Clooney could be barred from entering the United States for her involvement in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes in Gaza.
According to the Financial Times, the UK Foreign Office has
warned several senior barristers that they may face sanctions from the Trump
administration due to their roles in the case. The ICC issued arrest warrants
for Netanyahu and Gallant in November, a move that prompted strong backlash
from former President Donald Trump.
Trump signed an executive order in February imposing
financial penalties and visa restrictions on ICC officials and their immediate
families, condemning the charges as “baseless.” While ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan
is the only individual named so far, Amal Clooney — a prominent human rights
lawyer and British citizen — may be among those targeted next.
Clooney, 47, who is wife to Hollywood actor, Gorge Clooney,
served on a panel of international legal experts that reviewed evidence and
recommended the charges. The panel concluded that the ICC had jurisdiction over
crimes committed during Israel’s war with Hamas and advised that both Israeli
and Hamas leaders be held accountable.
If sanctions are extended to Clooney, she could be banned
from the U.S., where she resides with her husband, actor George Clooney, and
their twin daughters.
The ICC’s arrest warrants allege that Netanyahu and Gallant
knowingly deprived civilians in Gaza of basic necessities, violating
international humanitarian law. The court also issued a warrant for Hamas
military chief Mohammed Deif, believed to be a key planner of the October 7,
2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the kidnapping of
251 others. Israel has since confirmed Deif was killed in a targeted strike in
July.
Netanyahu and Gallant are now subject to arrest in any of the
124 countries that are signatories to the 1998 Rome Statute, including the UK,
France, and Austria.
The White House and representatives for Clooney have not
publicly responded to the potential sanctions.
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