President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court, accusing it of “illegal and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally, Israel.”

The move imposes financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who support ICC investigations of American citizens or associates.

Trump signed the order while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting Washington.

Last November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.

A White House fact sheet circulated on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of simultaneously creating a “shameful moral equivalence” between Hamas and Israel.

Trump’s executive order said the ICC’s recent actions set a “dangerous precedent” and put Americans at risk by exposing them to “harassment, abuse, and possible arrest.”

“This malicious behavior threatens to violate the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy interests of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order said.

The United States is not a member of the ICC and has repeatedly denied that the institution has any jurisdiction over American officials or citizens.

The White House accused the ICC of imposing restrictions on Israel’s right to self-defense, while ignoring Iran and anti-Israel groups.

During his first term, Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officials who were investigating whether U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Those sanctions were lifted by President Joe Biden’s administration.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to ratify the ICC, but the bill failed in the Senate.

The ICC was established in 2002 to investigate alleged crimes, including the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan genocide.

The Rome Statute that established the ICC has been ratified by over 120 countries, with 34 more likely to sign and ratify in the future.

Neither the United States nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute.

The ICC is a court of last resort and is intended to intervene only when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute.

Trump’s executive order stated that “both nations [the United States and Israel] are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.”

President Biden criticized Netanyahu for the ICC warrant in the final weeks of his term, calling the move “outrageous” and saying there was no similarity between Israel and Hamas.

Trump signed his latest executive order after announcing a plan for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip, resettle its Palestinian population and turn the territory into a “Middle Eastern Riviera” at a joint press conference with Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday.

After Arab leaders and the United Nations condemned the idea, the US president reiterated it on his Twitter social media platform on Thursday.

“At the end of the war, Israel will hand over the Gaza Strip to the United States,” Trump wrote, referring to the war between Israel and Hamas, which is currently under a ceasefire.

He repeatedly said the plan would include the resettlement of Palestinians and would not involve American soldiers.

His note did not clarify whether the two million settlers in the Palestinian territory would be invited to return, and officials struggled to clarify.

White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Wednesday that any displacement would be temporary.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Gazans would be leaving for an “interim” period.

As Netanyahu continued his journey to Washington, Trump signed the order after meeting with lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties on Capitol Hill.

The Israeli prime minister also presented Trump with a gold pager.

The gift was a reference to Israel’s deadly operation against Hezbollah last September using booby-trapped communications equipment.

The attacks killed dozens and wounded thousands. Lebanese officials said civilians were among the casualties.