Trump administration sanctions 4 ICC judges due to anti-Israel probe

The U.S. State Department has announced that it is imposing sanctions against four judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to the court’s ongoing investigation accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.

Israel, along with both the former Biden administration and the current Trump administration, has firmly rejected this accusation, citing a lack of credible evidence. The ICC judges involved in the case are from Peru, Slovenia, Benin, and Uganda.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted the conduct of the ICC judges.

“As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,” Rubio stated. He warned that the ICC probe against Israel constitutes a threat to national security and independence.

“This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel,” Rubio added.

He further pledged that the Trump administration would remain committed to defending the national interests of both Washington and Jerusalem, saying, “The United States will take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our sovereignty, that of Israel, and any other U.S. ally from illegitimate actions by the ICC.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked his American counterpart for backing Israel against the ICC's accusations.

“Thank you Secretary Rubio. You are right. The ICC’s dangerous abuse of power and illegitimate infringement of sovereignty and national security of democracies fighting terrorism like the US and Israel must stop,” Sa’ar wrote on the social media platform 𝕏.

Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, criticized the Trump administration’s sanctions, saying they were intended “to deter the ICC from seeking accountability amid grave crimes committed in Israel and Palestine, and as Israeli atrocities mount in Gaza, including with U.S. complicity.”

“U.S. sanctions on ICC judges are a flagrant attack on the rule of law at the same time as President Trump is working to undercut it at home,” Evenson continued.

“Sanctions are meant to put a stop to human rights violations, not to punish those seeking justice for the worst crimes,” she added.

However, critics have accused Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations of downplaying or overlooking systematic abuses committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians. The ICC has also faced criticism for what some see as an attempt to equate Israel's actions in Gaza with those of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization that has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction.

While the former Biden administration rejected the ICC charges against Israel, it refrained from imposing sanctions on the international court, based in the Netherlands. In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a more assertive stance.

In February, Trump ordered sanctions against the ICC in response to what he called “baseless arrest warrants” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute or a member of the ICC,” Trump’s executive order stated. “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.”

In February, the Trump administration also decided to impose sanctions against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is widely seen as the driving force in the politicized case against Israel.

Netanyahu has rejected the ICC’s charges, arguing that they do not reflect the realities on the ground and accusing the court of antisemitism.