The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced that it is in the process of imposing sanctions on four judges in the International Criminal Court against the background of the court in allegations of war crimes committed by Israel in its war in Gaza and the West Bank.
The US State Department said on Thursday that it will freeze any assets in the United States to the court judges, who are from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda.
4 women
The judges, who are four women, will be prohibited from entering the United States, and any assets will be frozen in the country. They are often taken against the policy makers of countries against the United States, not against judicial officials.
For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement: “As judges in the International Criminal Court, these four persons have effectively participated in illegal procedures and basis on the part of the court against America or our close ally Israel.”
Rubio continued: “The International Criminal Court is politicized, and it is not true that it has absolute authority to investigate the citizens of the United States and our allies, to charge them, and try them.”
He added: “This dangerous claim and abuse of power constitute a violation of the sovereignty of the United States and its national security, as well as the sovereignty and security of our allies, including Israel.”
The criminal responds
In response to the American decision, the international criminal, based in The Hague, considered that the sanctions are a “clear attempt” to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
The court said in a statement that “these measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that works with the mandate of 125 countries from all parts of the land,” the court said in a statement.
Two judges, Betty Holler from Slovenia, and Rin Alabini-Gansu from Benin, participated in procedures that led to the issuance of an arrest warrant in November against Benjamin Netanyahu.
Reasonable causes
The court concluded that there are “reasonable reasons” to hold Netanyahu Minister of Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant, responsible for acts that include the crime of war of starvation as a war of war in the war on Gaza after the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 on Israel.
The other two judges, Peruvian Lutt Del Carmen Eibaanith Karantha, Ugandan and Solomi Balgie Busa, participated in judicial procedures that led to an authorization to open an investigation into allegations that American forces committed war crimes during the war in Afghanistan.
This is the latest step taken by the administration to punish the International Criminal Court and its officials for their investigations against Israel and the United States.
In February, the Public Prosecutor of the Court, which is based in The Hague, Karim Khan, was listed on the Washington list of “specially specific nationals and banned persons”, which prevented him from dealing with Americans and imposing restrictions on his entry into the United States. Khan had removed from his position last month, pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
It is noteworthy that the United States, as well as Israel, is one of the non -signed countries on the main system of Rome that established the International Criminal.
But the Western allies of the United States, in the vast majority of them, as well as Japan and South Korea, and the vast majority of Latin America and most Africa, are on the basic system, and thus are required in theory to arrest the suspects when they reach their lands.
