Overnight (Thursday to Friday), the Trump administration imposed sanctions on four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This follows the issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes allegations in Gaza.
The sanctions target Judges Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza from Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou from Benin, and Betty Höller from Slovenia. These measures will affect the judges’ ability to conduct financial transactions—especially those involving U.S. dollars or any banks subject to American regulatory compliance.
Judges Accused of Political Action
Following the White House announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the judges of acting politically and harming the interests of both the United States and Israel.
As a reminder, only recently, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was forced to resign following allegations of sexual assault against a fellow employee at the court. He too was subjected to American sanctions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded: “Thank you to President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio for imposing sanctions against the political judges of the International Criminal Court. You rightly defended the right of Israel, the United States, and all democracies to protect themselves from savage terrorism.”
