The Hague Group

The Trump administration is stepping up efforts against the International Criminal Court, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that it is preparing new sanctions on the Hague-based institution. The move would escalate Washington's long-running confrontation with the court, which has pursued cases involving US allies and American personnel, and is likely to draw criticism from human rights groups and European governments.

Speaking at Friday's meeting of The Hague Group on defending international law, Palestine's ambassador set out eight measures all countries should take, saying the collective objective must be to make occupation and annexation costly and accountability unavoidable. The remarks come amid ongoing debate over how states should respond to Israel's occupation and annexation policies.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide spoke at a meeting of the Hague Group, a coalition of states working to protect and uphold the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. During his address, Eide recounted his earlier work against apartheid in South Africa, drawing a parallel between that struggle and the group's current efforts to defend international law and court decisions.