7 hours ago
Last Updated:April 30, 2025, 20:03 IST
Amal was part of the ICC panel that was tasked with evaluating evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza
US actor George Clooney (L) and his wife Lebanese-British barrister Amal Clooney. (AFP file photo)
Amal Clooney, the prominent British-Lebanese human rights lawyer and wife of American actor George Clooney, could be barred from entering the United States due to her role in the Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza.
According to a report by The Financial Times published last week, the UK Foreign Office has warned several high-profile British lawyers, including Amal, that they could face sanctions from the Trump administration due to their involvement in the ICC probe.
Clooney, who lives in the US with her husband and their twin children, was part of an eight-person panel of legal and academic experts convened by the ICC in January last year at the request of chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
Amal Clooney’s role in ICC probe
The panel was tasked with evaluating evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza during its military response to the October 7 Hamas attack.
In May 2024, the panel’s recommendations led the ICC to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three senior Hamas leaders. The group, which included senior British legal figures like Judge Theodor Meron and Elizabeth Wilmshurst KC, unanimously agreed that there was sufficient evidence to proceed.
Other British legal experts also reportedly at risk of US sanctions include former senior judge Lord Justice Adrian Fulford, Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws, and barrister Danny Friedman of Matrix Chambers. All of them contributed to the ICC’s legal analysis on the conflict, the publication reported.
US response on ICC probe
The US government — under Trump’s executive order signed earlier this year in February — condemned the ICC’s actions, calling them “illegitimate and baseless". The order had accused the world court of unfairly targeting America and its close ally, Israel, for political reasons.
“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. Neither country has ever recognized the ICC’s jurisdiction, and both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war," the order had stated.
Location :United States of America (USA)
First Published:April 30, 2025, 20:03 IST
News world Amal Clooney Could Face US Travel Ban Over Israel-Gaza War Case
