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.
Rubio added that, the Court is a national security threat that has been an
instrument for law fare against the United States and it's close ally Israel.
But 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.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, welcomed Rubio’s move as a decisive act against
a smear campaign of lies against the State of Israel.
Recall that 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.
The new sanctions target Kimberly Prost of Canada, Nicolas Guillou of
France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of
Senegal.
Guillou is an ICC judge who oversaw a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest
warrant for Netanyahu, while Khan and Niang are the court’s two deputy
prosecutors.
