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Human rights attorney Amal Clooney may be barred from entering the United States, where she currently resides with husband George Clooney and their twin children. The British lawyer was reportedly among a handful of senior legal practitioners who offered legal advice to the International Criminal Court in the case against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, bordering on war crimes. Leading human rights attorneys like Adrian Fulford, Danny Friedman, Baroness Helena Kennedy, and the wife of Oceans 11 actor George Clooney reportedly gave their counsel on whether or not the court had sufficient evidence to charge.
Thereafter, the ICC issued warrants last year for the arrest of Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Three Hamas leaders, now deceased, were also charged. This involvement in the ICC case condemning Israel’s conduct in Gaza has put these senior British attorneys at risk of a potential US ban.
George Clooney’s Wife Cautioned After ICC Counsel
The Financial Times reported that the U.K. Foreign Office issued a warning to several high-level barristers over the legal counsel they offered to the International Criminal Court. They warned that these Human rights attorneys, including George Clooney’s wife Amal, face a potential sanction by the Trump administration. This sanction could include a suspension of entry into the United States, as well as the blocking of property and assets. By implication, Amal Clooney, like the rest of the panel of lawyers, could face a future ban on visiting the US if the sanctions are imposed. Additionally, she stood at risk of losing her US assets, acquired over the years.
The British human rights attorney, who became George Clooney’s wife in 2014, has two family homes in the US, including one in California and another in New York City, where she currently resides with her husband and kids. While the couple owns homes all over the world and resided in France for years, they relocated to New York temporarily for proximity amid George’s latest Broadway project, Good Night and Good Luck. They share 7-year-old twins Alexander and Ella.
Trump Retaliation May Disrupt the Clooneys’ US Stay
During a sit-down with Stephen Colbert, George Clooney admitted his wife and kids love it in New York despite having France as their primary residence. While it’s unclear if the family considered making the city their home on a more permanent basis, as rumors of their impending divorce run wild, they might lose the option altogether if the actor’s British wife indeed faces Donald Trump’s wrath.
The warning from Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office followed the Trump administration’s imposed sanctions on parties involved in the Gaza case. Back in February, barely three months after the panel of lawyers approved the ICC’s decision to file charges against Israel’s Netanyahu and Gallant, Donald Trump issued an executive order sanctioning ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and accusing the court of abusing its power by “issuing baseless arrest warrants” pointing out that Israel was not subject to the Rome Statute. The POTUS also threatened further measures on those “responsible for ICC’s transgressions,” which may include Amal Clooney and other attorneys who offered counsel. It doesn’t help that rumors of the Clooneys’ divorce continue to thrive. If Amal takes a hit from this imposed sanction, she just might lose all connection to the US in one fell swoop.
