Biden faces calls to lift Trump's controversial ICC sanctions

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Mar 4, 2021

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (C) and deputy prosecutor James Stewart (R) attend the initial appearance before judges of member of the board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona of the Central African Republic, at the ICC in The Hague on January 25, 2019, following his extradition from France on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. - Ngaissona is charged with coordinating so-called anti-Balaka militia which emerged after — International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (C) and deputy prosecutor James Stewart (R) attend the initial appearance before judges of member of the board of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona of the Central African Republic, at the ICC in The Hague on Jan. 25, 2019, following his extradition from France on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. — KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden likes to say “America is back.” But six weeks weeks into office, that's not the case at the International Criminal Court, despite his stated push to renew the US role in global institutions.

On Wednesday, the chief prosecutor of the Hague-based tribunal announced a formal investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories. The inquiry is expected to focus on the actions of both Israel and militant group Hamas during the Gaza war in 2014 as well as Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank.