The United States has announced sanctions on four international Criminal Court Judges for wrongly indicting Washington and Tel Aviv in Gaza. The jurisdiction of the international court is recognised by 123 countries around the world, excluding the US, Russia, China, and Israel.
The court does not have its forces but rather depends on allies and signatories to detain and transfer suspects. In February, the US administration sanctioned the ICC and its top prosecutor, Karim Khan, for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
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In an official statement on Thursday evening, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the new sanctions targeted Judges, including Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz Del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie AlapiniGansou of Benin and BetiHohler of Slovenia, over their “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel.”
Rubio, who maintains a pro-Israel stance on Israel's invasion of Gaza, accused the ICC of being “politicised” and of falsely claiming unchecked authority to investigate, charge, and prosecute US nationals and Washington’s allies, calling it a “dangerous assertion and abuse of power.”
As per the statement, four judges are being sanctioned under Executive Order 14203, a measure that restricts their access to the US financial system and complicates international transactions. Earlier in November last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for allegedly committing grave human rights violations with “Genocidal intent” in Gaza.
It also accused Israel of weaponising aid and using starvation as a method of warfare in response to a deadly 2023 raid by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, argued that the court lacks jurisdiction over its citizens. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, had accused the ICC of acting “as a political tool serving Israel’s enemies.”
Last month, Khan took a leave of absence amid a UN investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
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