Netanyahu hails US sanctions on ICC officials over Israel arrest warrants
Washington blacklists four International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors after warning issued against Israeli leaders over Gaza war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed sweeping US sanctions on four senior figures at the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling it “a decisive action for truth and justice.”
The measures, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, target two judges and two deputy prosecutors accused by Washington of pursuing “illegitimate and baseless” cases against Israel. The sanctions freeze any assets held in the United States and bar the officials from the American financial system.
Those designated include French judge Nicolas Guillou, who presided over the pre-trial panel that authorised arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November. The other officials are deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, alongside Canadian judge Kimberly Prost.
The latest sanctions follow a similar American step three months ago, when four ICC judges were blacklisted for what the State Department described as attempts to target the US and Israel.
Speaking after the announcement, Netanyahu said the sanctions “expose the false smear campaign against the State of Israel and the IDF” and praised Washington for standing “on the side of our soldiers and our people.”
The ICC, which insists it operates independently under international law, has not yet issued a response to the new measures.
Alongside its probe into Israel and Hamas, the court is pursuing investigations into conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in member states or when referred by the UN Security Council.
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