US slaps sanctions on ICC judges probing Netanyahu, France expresses dismay

The United States on Wednesday, 20 August, expanded its sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its investigation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, targeting a French judge and several other ICC officials involved in the cases.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced sanctions against judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is overseeing the case in which the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Canadian judge Kimberly Prost was also hit with sanctions for her role in a separate ICC probe into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, while deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal were likewise targeted.

France, whose President Emmanuel Macron had visited Washington just days earlier, expressed strong disapproval, calling the move “in contradiction to the principle of an independent judiciary.” The ICC condemned the sanctions as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”

The @IntlCrimCourt continues to disregard national sovereignty and facilitate lawfare through efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, and prosecute American and Israeli nationals. In response, I am sanctioning four additional ICC officials. We will continue to hold accountable…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 20, 2025

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Netanyahu welcomed the US action, calling it a “decisive act against a smear campaign of lies against the State of Israel” and its military.

The ICC has accused Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s military operations in Gaza. It has also issued arrest warrants for former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who was later reported killed by Israel.

Judge Guillou, now under US sanctions, has a long judicial career including involvement in trials related to Kosovo and Lebanon, and previous work with the US Justice Department during the Obama administration. The sanctions bar him from entering the United States and freeze any assets he holds there.

This move mirrors actions by the Trump administration, which had previously sanctioned ICC officials and dismissed the court’s authority. Rubio had already sanctioned four ICC judges in June, citing their support for “illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” including arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

The Biden administration had previously opposed ICC proceedings against Israel but had lifted some sanctions and allowed limited cooperation with the court, including on Ukraine-related investigations. Neither the US, Israel, nor Russia are ICC members.

With IANS inputs