US slaps sanctions on ICC judges probing Netanyahu, France expresses dismay

Washington: The United States has widened its measures against the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing sanctions on a French judge and several others linked to the court’s investigations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday (local time) declared sanctions against Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over the case in which the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

In addition, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost was sanctioned in connection with a separate case involving alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

Two deputy prosecutors, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, were also targeted under the new restrictions.

France, whose President Emmanuel Macron had been in Washington just two days before the announcement, reacted sharply, saying it was “dismayed” by the move. A foreign ministry spokesman said the decision was “in contradiction to the principle of an independent judiciary.”

The ICC also denounced the sanctions, describing them as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”

The ICC has accused Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Rubio, thanking him for what he called a “decisive act against a smear campaign of lies against the State of Israel” and its military.

The ICC has also issued arrest warrants for former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who has since been confirmed killed by Israel.

Judge Guillou, who now faces US sanctions, has a long record of judicial service, having previously participated in trials connected to Kosovo and Lebanon.

He also worked in the United States for several years, assisting the Justice Department with judicial cooperation during the Obama administration.

The sanctions imposed by Washington will prevent him from entering the country and freeze any assets he may hold there.

The move mirrors actions taken under the Trump administration, which had previously imposed sanctions on ICC officials and dismissed the court’s authority.

Rubio had already sanctioned four other ICC judges earlier in June. The State Department explained that the two deputy prosecutors were penalised for backing “illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” including their support for the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

Judge Prost, the Canadian official now sanctioned, had been involved in a case authorising an ICC investigation into alleged crimes committed during the Afghanistan war, including by US forces.

Neither the United States, Russia, nor Israel is a member of the ICC. The latest measures come against the backdrop of former President Donald Trump recently hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, despite the ICC’s outstanding arrest warrant against him for the invasion of Ukraine.

The administration of former President Joe Biden had also opposed ICC proceedings against Israel, though it lifted earlier sanctions and permitted limited cooperation with the court, including in investigations linked to Ukraine.

–IANS