Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sanctions target judges involved in legal actions against U.S. and Israeli officials, signaling ongoing U.S. opposition to the ICC's authority.
U.S. Imposes Sanctions on ICC Judges in Response to Investigations of Military Personnel
U.S. Imposes Sanctions on ICC Judges in Response to Investigations of Military Personnel
The U.S. government has announced sanctions against four judges of the International Criminal Court following their role in investigations concerning American and Israeli military actions.
The United States has escalated its tensions with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by imposing sanctions on four of its judges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this decision on Thursday as a reaction to ongoing investigations into U.S. military personnel and arrest warrants for prominent Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The four judges affected by these sanctions are Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza from Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou from Benin, and Beti Hohler from Slovenia. Rubio's statement emphasized that the U.S. will take decisive action to safeguard its sovereignty and that of Israel against what he described as illegitimate actions by the ICC.
These latest sanctions come on the heels of earlier measures taken in February against ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, whose investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza had drawn significant scrutiny. Historically, both the U.S. and Israel have resisted the ICC's jurisdiction, signifying their discontent with its attempts to prosecute leaders from their governments.
The State Department outlined the judges' roles, stating that Ms. Bossa and Ms. Ibáñez Carranza had approved investigations involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, while Ms. Alapini Gansou and Ms. Hohler had sanctioned arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.
As part of the sanctions, all U.S.-based assets of the sanctioned judges will be blocked, and American citizens will be prohibited from engaging in any business transactions with them. The ICC, established by a 1998 treaty, serves as the international community’s highest court for addressing war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. However, it has often struggled with enforcement as numerous powerful nations, including the U.S., China, and Russia, have yet to join the court.
Rubio also called upon countries supportive of the ICC to counter what he referred to as a disgraceful attack on both the U.S. and Israel, emphasizing the need for collective pushback against actions he considers hostile to their national interests.
