Internal U.S. actions focus on sanctions against additional International Criminal Court judges, predominantly regarding Israel-related matters.
The United States has imposed sanctions on several International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, including Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, in response to investigations into Americans and Israelis without their consent.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the ICC poses a national security threat and has been used as a tool for lawfare against the United States and its close ally, Israel. The sanctions are part of a new effort by the US to hobble the ICC, particularly over actions against Israel.
Judge Guillou, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is one of the individuals targeted by the sanctions. Rubio also slapped sanctions on two deputy prosecutors - Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, for supporting "illegitimate ICC actions against Israel."
A Canadian judge, Kimberly Prost, was targeted in the latest US sanctions for her involvement in a case authorizing an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the war in Afghanistan, including by US forces.
The State Department stated that the officials were punished for supporting the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC has not been recognized by the United States, and the State of Palestine, which brought forward the case, is not recognized by Washington either.
The Trump administration has roundly rejected the authority of the ICC, which is backed by almost all European democracies and was set up as a court of last resort when national systems do not allow for justice. The sanctions will bar the entry of the ICC judges to the United States and block any property they have in the world's largest economy.
The International Criminal Court is based in The Hague. The term "lawfare" is popular with President Donald Trump's supporters, and Rubio has used it to describe the ICC's actions against the US and Israel.
In a notable move, Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska despite Putin facing an ICC arrest warrant. This move was seen as a sign of the US's increasingly hostile stance towards the ICC.
In June, Rubio had already slapped sanctions on four other ICC judges for similar reasons. The US's actions against the ICC have sparked international criticism, with many seeing them as an attempt to undermine the court's independence and effectiveness.
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