ICC Sanctions: Trump Targets Hague Judges Over Israel Warrants

Secretary of State and President Donald Trump announced today (Wednesday) additional sanctions against senior officials at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The sanctions target two judges and two deputy prosecutors, following what the American administration defined as "political and not moral enforcement" against Israel.

Among those affected: Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, French Judge Nicolas-Jean Guyot, Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan from Fiji, and Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang from Senegal. The measure includes freezing assets in the United States and prohibiting business relationships with American citizens and companies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the decision: "I commend Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, who decided to impose sanctions on the judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This is a decisive action against the false defamation campaign against the State of Israel and the IDF, and in favor of truth and justice."

Families of three Israeli hostages; Avinatan Or, Eitan Mor, and Omri Miran held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, have filed a NIS 20 million ($5.9 million) lawsuit against International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. Represented by Shurat HaDin, Israel Law Center, the families accuse Khan of turning the ICC into “a branch office of Hamas” by failing to pursue justice for their loved ones while targeting Israeli leaders. Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner stated, “The International Criminal Court has become a branch of Hamas. Through [Khan’s] direct actions, he gave an enormous tailwind to the terrorist murderers.”

The lawsuit highlights Khan’s eight-month delay in seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders like Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Ismail Haniyeh, all killed by Israel, while promptly requesting warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes. The families argue, “The blood libels the defendant wove against the State of Israel and its leaders, by creating a false moral equivalence between the State of Israel, the victim, and the terrorists who hold the hostages and abuse them daily, granted legitimacy to the terrorists to continue extorting Israel while holding and abusing the hostages.” Israel denies the ICC’s charges, citing extensive humanitarian aid efforts and measures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza.