Washington sanctions ICC judges after court upholds arrest warrants for Netanyahu

The U.S. government announced new sanctions against two International Criminal Court judges due to the court’s controversial arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday revealed that Washington’s new sanctions are directed against Georgian judge Gocha Lordkipanidze and Mongolian judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute Israeli nationals without Israel’s consent,” Rubio stated.

“We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject US and Israeli persons to the ICC’s jurisdiction.”

“We will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to the ICC’s lawfare and overreach,” Rubio vowed.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Rubio and the Trump administration for its statement of support.

“Thank you, Secretary Rubio, for this moral, clear stance,” Saar wrote on 𝕏.

The ICC, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, responded by stating that it “strongly rejects” Washington’s sanctions against its judges. The court claimed that the U.S. measures constitute “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”

Yet, the international court failed to address its own disregard for Israel's independent judicial institutions. In addition, Israeli and American officials have argued that, because neither the United States nor Israel is an ICC member, the court lacks legal authority to rule on American or Israeli matters.

The ICC recently rejected an Israeli appeal and emphasized that the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant remain in force. The ICC’s Appeals Chamber issued the decision by a narrow majority, with three judges voting in favor and two opposing it.

Israel has strongly rejected the charges of “genocide” and other alleged war crimes in Gaza. The United States and Germany have also rejected the charges.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the ICC’s ruling, which it described as “another example of the ongoing politicization of the International Criminal Court.” The ministry said the court’s anti-Israel position during the Gaza war is “politics disguised as ‘international law.’”

The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel’s right to defend itself without having its leaders and soldiers prosecuted for alleged war crimes.

In June, the Trump administration imposed sanctions against four ICC judges due to the court’s anti-Israel bias.

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

In February, the Trump administration had already imposed sanctions against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, the key person in the case, who initiated and advanced the investigation into Israel and sought the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order rejecting “baseless arrest warrants” against Israeli leaders. The executive order stressed that ICC lacked legal jurisdiction in both nations.

“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.”

“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 executive order continued.

Meanwhile, Khan is facing serious accusations of sexual misconduct. The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2024 that Khan’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were designed to distract attention from Khan’s own legal problems.

Israel has called for Khan's removal due to a conflict of interest and strong bias against the Jewish state.