MEPs urge EU to shield International Criminal Court from US sanctions

Fifty-eight members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to shield the International Criminal Court (ICC) from US sanctions that threaten to disrupt its operations.In a letter sent on Tuesday and seen by Euronews, the MEPs called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to defend the Netherlands-based court against what they described as “an attack by a foreign power on an entity on EU territory”, warning of "devastating" consequences.US President Donald Trump’s administration announced sanctions against the ICC last Friday, following repeated criticism of the court over its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its investigation into the conduct of US troops in Afghanistan.After an initial six-month grace period, the sanctions could severely hamper the court's operations by barring US banks and companies from doing business with it, although exemptions are envisaged for some telecommunications, software and payment services.Given the dominance of US firms…