Jetten defends ICC at UN podium
The prime minister called on countries to protect the International Criminal Court and the international legal order.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten defended the International Criminal Court during the United Nations General Assembly. He warned that attempts to undermine the court, in his view, affect the international legal order as a whole.
Jetten spoke in New York on Thursday during the 81st United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, he said international law only has meaning if it applies to all countries. He linked that message to the position of the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague.
“Hands off the ICC,” the prime minister said in English. According to Jetten, the court was established to combat impunity, and protecting the institution is necessary to keep prosecutions for the most serious international crimes possible. He also referred to the Netherlands’ intention to host a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine in The Hague.
The call comes at a time when the United States is considering new sanctions against the ICC. According to the Associated Press news agency, Dutch officials are preparing for measures that could make it more difficult for the court to access financial and digital services. US officials told AP that the scale and scope of any new sanctions had not yet been definitively established.
Washington opposes the ICC partly because of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and investigations into US military actions in Afghanistan. The United States is not party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Russia, China, India and Israel are also not parties, AP reported.
In the Netherlands, meanwhile, the question is being raised whether the cabinet should go further than diplomatic pressure. NOS reported that a majority of the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) voted in April in favour of a motion for a European blocking statute. Such a measure could prohibit companies and institutions within the European Union from implementing certain US sanctions. The measure is not yet in force, and the Netherlands cannot introduce it independently.
The precise consequences of new US measures therefore remain unclear. The political dilemma, however, is clear: the Netherlands is host country to an international court that the cabinet wants to protect, but must do so in a conflict with an important ally. Jetten’s speech made clear that the cabinet explicitly links defending the ICC to the broader question of whether international rules continue to apply to powerful countries as well.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Jetten called for the International Criminal Court to be protected during the UN General Assembly.
- The United States is considering new sanctions against the court, but according to AP their scale and timing had not yet been established.
- Support has been expressed in the Netherlands for a European blocking statute; it is not yet in force.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach stresses that international justice is needed precisely to hold powerful states and government leaders to account. European countries should therefore resist US pressure and actively protect the ICC financially, legally and politically.
Values Equality before the law, human rights, international solidarity and combating impunity.
Consequences From this perspective, waiting could weaken the court and signal to victims that geopolitical power outweighs justice. European countermeasures, on the other hand, could place further strain on cooperation with the US.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach combines protecting the ICC with cautious diplomacy. The Netherlands should act primarily together with European partners, prepare alternatives for financial and digital services, and try to limit escalation with Washington.
Values The rule of law, proportionality, European unity and the continuity of public institutions.
Consequences A joint European approach could keep the court operational without leaving the Netherlands alone against the US. Excessive caution, however, could be seen as insufficient protection of an institution of which the Netherlands is host country.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach places greater emphasis on national sovereignty and democratic oversight. It may take seriously US criticism of a court that investigates non-member states and of potentially politically motivated prosecutions, and warn against European countermeasures that cause economic or diplomatic damage.
Values National control, restraint towards international power institutions, relations with allies and predictability for businesses.
Consequences Keeping greater distance from the ICC could limit conflicts with the US, but from this perspective it could also damage the credibility of international justice and put the Netherlands in a difficult position as host country.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The article’s central points are based on Jetten’s public speech and independent reporting on possible US sanctions. Uncertainties about timing and scale are explicitly presented as uncertain.
- confirmed Rob Jetten addressed the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2026. — This is stated in the Dutch government’s public speech transcript. source
- confirmed Jetten called for the International Criminal Court to be protected and said: ‘Hands off the ICC’. — The wording appears in the published text of his speech. source
- confirmed The Netherlands has offered to host a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine in The Hague. — Jetten mentions this offer in the same speech. source
- confirmed The United States is considering new sanctions against the International Criminal Court. — AP reports that Dutch officials are preparing for this; US officials confirm that new sanctions are possible. source
- confirmed The scale and scope of any new US sanctions had not yet been definitively established. — AP writes this on the basis of US officials. source
- confirmed A majority of the Lower House supported a motion for a European blocking statute in April. — NOS describes the vote and the motion. source
- confirmed The Netherlands cannot introduce a European blocking statute independently. — NOS reports that a majority in the European Union is required for this. source
- confirmed The United States is not party to the Rome Statute. — This is stated in AP’s background on the ICC. source
Editor's note
The content of Jetten’s speech and the Dutch political debate can be traced directly to public sources. AP bases some of its information about possible sanctions on anonymous government and diplomatic sources; the timing, scale and consequences of new measures are therefore still uncertain.Sources
- Toespraak minister-president Jetten tijdens de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties 2026 — Rijksoverheid
- The Netherlands is bracing for potentially devastating US sanctions against the ICC — Associated Press
- Strafhof-kwestie escaleert dag voor VN-vergadering, wat gaat Jetten erover zeggen? — NOS Nieuwsuur
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „internationaal strafhof”
- NU.nl — „internationaal strafhof”
- De Telegraaf — „internationaal strafhof”