US expands sanctions targeting International Criminal Court
Al Jazeera
United States expands attacks on International Criminal Court amid growing scrutiny over Israeli abuses in Gaza.
The United States has announced a new round of sanctions targeting members of the International Criminal Court, the latest instance of a pressure campaign against the court that previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
In a statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that two judges and two prosecutors were being added to a list of ICC members sanctioned by the administration of President Donald Trump.
“The Court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,” Rubio said in a statement.
The ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Following the US State Department announcement, the court on Wednesday denounced the expanded US sanctions as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution” and the victims of war crimes around the world and said it would continue its work “without regard to any restriction, pressure or threat”.
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