George Clooney's wife Amal could face a US ban following Donald Trump's sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Last May, the British human rights lawyer - who has represented several high-profile clients - served on an expert panel put together by International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan to evaluate evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The panel 'unanimously' concluded that there were reasonable grounds to pursue charges and arrest warrants against both Hamas leaders and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
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“We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence,” Clooney wrote of the decision.
While we don't know the extent of Clooney's involvement in the case, President Trump said in an executive order on 6 February that he would be imposing sanctions on the ICC for issuing warrant on Netanyahu and Gallant.
The 78-year-old said the ICC, 'without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel'.
ICC official Khan was named in the executive order, whilst Clooney was not.
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However, the Financial Times has reported that the UK foreign office has warned senior British lawyers are at risk of being sanctioned by the US.
They report that 'people familiar with the matter' have said that 'several senior lawyers involved in the ICC’s war crimes case' have received warnings.
It is yet to be confirmed whether Clooney was contacted, as the extent of her assistance as a ICC panelist remains unclear.
The supposed sanctions include a possible travel ban to the US and the freezing of assets.
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"The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC," the order read.
"Neither country has ever recognised the ICC’s jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.
"The ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest.
"This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel."
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Clooney has yet commented on the situation.
LADbible Group has contacted the UK foreign office, and George and Amal Clooney's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Donald Trump, George Clooney, US News, Politics
Anish Vij