United States imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court judges due to their probe into Israel's actions.
Brandishing Sanctions: Trump Administration Takes on International Criminal Court Over Israel Investigation
In a bold move, the Trump administration has decided to impose sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the court's investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel. The judges, hailing from Benin, Peru, Slovenia, and Uganda, are now facing assetfreezes in U.S. jurisdictions.
The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has criticized the ICC, accusing it of being politicized and asserting unfettered jurisdiction to investigate, prosecute, and charge nationals of the United States and its allies. Rubio argues that such actions infringe on the sovereignty and national security of these nations, including Israel.
Recently, the Hague-based court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added to Washington's list of Specially Designated Nationals due to investigations into alleged Israeli and U.S. crimes. Khan stepped aside last month following allegations of sexual misconduct.
In response, the ICC spokesperson, Fadi El Abdallah, condemned the U.S. actions, calling them an attempt to undermine the court's independence.
Notably, the new sanctions target ICC Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, who played a role in the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. Alapini-Gansou was also part of the panel that authorized the investigation into alleged Israeli crimes in the Palestinian territories in 2021. Slovenian judge Beti Hohler was also elected to the ICC in 2023, despite Israel's objections due to her past work on cases involving Israeli officials.
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The U.S. and Israel are not members of the ICC and do not recognize its legitimacy. The court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over his military response to a Hamas attack in October 2023. Israel vehemently denies the allegations.
During his first term, Trump previously targeted the ICC with sanctions over investigations into Israel and perceived U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. However, President Biden's administration rescinded these sanctions in early 2021.
Rubio has stated that the U.S. will continue to take action to protect its and Israel's interests at the court. Human Rights Watch has criticized the U.S. sanctions, expressing concern that the measures aim to deter the ICC from seeking accountability amid grave crimes in Israel and Palestine[1][2].
[1] 'U.S. and Israel Are Not Members of the ICC, So Why Are They Being Investigated for Crimes Against Humanity in Palestine?' https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/1/us-israel-not-members-of-the-icc-so-why-are-they-being-investigated-for-crimes-against-humanity-in-palestine[2] 'Trump's Move to Sanction ICC Judges Is Dangerous and Illegal, say Legal Experts' https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/03/trump-sanctions-icc-is-dangerous-illegal-legal-experts/[3] 'ICC Sierra Leone Judge Chris Var feels Vindicated by Korea's Court Ruling' https://www.icosociety.org/article/icc-sierra-leone-judge-chrismoulton-feels-vindicated-by-south-koreas-court-ruling/
- The Trump administration's latest policy-and-legislation move involves imposing sanctions on judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is under scrutiny for its investigation into war-and-conflicts related cases, such as alleged war crimes by Israel.
- Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, has voiced his critique against the ICC, asserting that it has been politicized and possesses unfettered jurisdiction over their nationals, including those from the United States and its allies, notably Israel.
- General-news sources have reported that the ICC's Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added to Washington's list of Specially Designated Nationals due to investigations into alleged Israeli and U.S. crimes, which has raised concerns among human rights organizations regarding crime-and-justice matters and the ICC's independence.
