Washington imposes sanctions on four International Criminal Court judges

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing them of "violating the sovereignty of the United States and its ally Israel."

Rubio announced the sanctions on Thursday, condemning what he described as the ICC’s “baseless and politicized targeting” of America and its ally Israel.

Rubio specified that the sanctions target two judges who authorized an investigation into US personnel in Afghanistan, which the US considers unfounded, as well as two judges who issued arrest warrants for 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

The @IntlCrimCourt’s baseless and politicized targeting of America and our close ally Israel must end. Today, I have sanctioned four ICC judges for infringing on U.S. and Israeli sovereignty – two who authorized the ICC’s baseless investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 5, 2025

Rubio called on allied nations to stand united against what he termed a “disgraceful attack” by the ICC.

The arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant, issued in November 2024, relate to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, 'Israel' has conducted military operations in Gaza, which have drawn international scrutiny and legal examination by bodies including the ICC.

The ICC is an independent tribunal tasked with investigating and prosecuting serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.