Marco Rubio announces sanctions against two more ICC judges for investigating Israel

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two more International Criminal Court (ICC) judges; the move was filed in support of Israel and as a response to what Washington describes as politicized actions by the court.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the two judges voted earlier this week against Israel's appeal to the International Criminal Court. Appeals judges at the ICC on Monday rejected one in a series of legal challenges brought by Israel against the court’s probe into its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

"These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15," the State Department statement reads.

"We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject U.S. and Israeli persons to the ICC’s jurisdiction," Rubio said.

"We will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to the ICC’s lawfare and overreach," he added.

Under the sanctions, the judges are barred from entering the U.S. and all their property and financial transactions in the country are blocked.

Netanyahu hails measures against ICC judges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday praised the United States for sanctions against the ICC judges.

"Israel appreciates the decisive leadership and firm action of the Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] and the determination of the United States under the leadership of the President [Donald Trump] to confront the scourge of lawfare, which poses a grave threat to both nations," the Israeli prime minister wrote on X.

ICC opposes sanctions

The court quickly expressed its strong rejection of the measure "against judges Gocha Lordkipanidze (Georgia) and Erdenebalsuren Damdin (Mongolia)."

"These sanctions constitute a flagrant attack on the independence of an impartial judicial institution, which operates in accordance with the mandate conferred on it by the member states," the court said in a statement published by AFP.