Washington imposed measures against prosecutors who sought the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The United States has levied sanctions against two judges and two prosecutors from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to their involvement in pursuing cases against American military personnel and Israeli officials.
A State Department statement released on Wednesday indicated that Judge Kimberly Prost was placed on a sanctions list for having approved the Hague-based court’s investigation into the actions of US troops in Afghanistan.
Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou faced sanctions for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Furthermore, deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang were also placed on a sanctions list for upholding these warrants. Neither the United States nor Israel is a signatory to the ICC.
The ICC denounced these designations as “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution, which operates under a mandate from 125 States Parties from all regions.”
US President Donald Trump first imposed sanctions on the ICC in February, asserting the court engaged in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” Netanyahu also condemned the arrest warrants, characterizing the ruling as “anti-Semitic.”
In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant after determining there were “reasonable grounds” that Israel had obstructed humanitarian aid access to Gaza, where over 60,000 people have been killed since 2023.