US State Dept. sanctions ICC judges for issuing warrants against Israeli officials

The order allows the US to freeze any assets held in the country by those designated and to block entry into the United States for them and their immediate family members.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two judges of the International Criminal Court, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the move was aimed at halting what Washington views as unlawful action against Israel.

In a statement, Rubio said the US was designating ICC judges Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia under Executive Order 14203, which President Donald Trump signed in February to authorize sanctions related to the court.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent,” Rubio said.

The order allows the US to freeze any assets held in the country by those designated and to block entry into the United States for them and their immediate family members. The United States and Israel are not members of the ICC.

The court rejected the US action, calling it an attack on judicial independence. “Such measures targeting judges and prosecutors who were elected by the States Parties undermine the rule of law,” the ICC said in a response. “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.”

The sanctions drew criticism from the Netherlands, where the ICC is based. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said international courts must be able to perform their work without pressure and wrote on X that his government continues to support the court and its staff.

The US decision follows months of friction with the ICC over its handling of cases related to Israel.

On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on the charge of crimes against humanity in the Gaza war. Alongside the warrants for Israeli officials, the ICC also alleged Hamas leaders were guilty of war crimes, but the terror leaders who were the subject of warrants have since been assassinated.