WASHINGTON/AMSTERDAM: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four more International Criminal Court judges or prosecutors, including from allies France and Canada, in a new effort to hobble the tribunal particularly over actions against Israel.

“The Court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, using a term popular with President Donald Trump’s supporters.

Rubio said that the four people targeted from the tribunal based in The Hague had sought to investigate or prosecute nationals from the United States or Israel “without the consent of either nation.” The four include Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The case was brought forward by the State of Palestine, which is not recognised by Washington but, unlike Israel or the United States, has acceded to the statute that set up the tribunal in The Hague.

Guillou, a veteran jurist, had worked for several years in the United States assisting the Justice Department with judicial cooperation during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Also targeted in the latest US sanctions was a Canadian judge, Kimberly Prost, who was involved in a case that authorised an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the war in Afghanistan, including by US forces.

Under the sanctions, the United States will bar entry of the ICC judges to the United States and block any property they have in the world’s largest economy — measures more often taken against US adversaries than individuals from close allies.

Rubio also slapped sanctions on two deputy prosecutors — Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.

The State Department said the two were punished by the United States for supporting “illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” including by supporting the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The Trump administration has roundly rejected the authority of the court, 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.

Trump on Friday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska even though Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant, a factor that has stopped him from traveling more widely since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Rubio slapped sanctions on four other ICC judges in June.

ICC deplores sanctions

The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Wednesday it deplored the announcement by President Donald Trump’s administration of new US sanctions against another four of its staff members — two judges and two deputy prosecutors.

“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all regions,” the ICC said in a statement.

“They constitute also an affront against the Court’s States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world,” the court added. “The ICC will continue fulfilling mandates in strict accordance with its legal framework, without regard to any pressure or threat.”

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025