US Prepares Institutional Sanctions on ICC After Netanyahu Warrant The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on the International ...
US Prepares Institutional Sanctions on ICC After Netanyahu Warrant
The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution, escalating a campaign that began after the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
According to a September 20, 2026, Wall Street Journal report citing U.S. officials and internal documents, the measures would prohibit most transactions with the court after a six- to seven-month transition period. The restrictions could block the ICC from conducting dollar-denominated transactions and sharply limit its access to the international financial system. Washington has so far targeted individual judges and prosecutors rather than the court itself.
The 2024 warrants alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare, related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Israel and the United States reject the ICC’s jurisdiction; neither is a party to the Rome Statute. The U.S. has long argued the court lacks authority over nationals of non-member states and has accused it of politicization.
President Trump signed Executive Order 14203 in February 2025, declaring a national emergency over ICC actions targeting U.S. and Israeli personnel and authorizing sanctions. Officials have since designated multiple ICC judges and prosecutors involved in the Afghanistan and Palestine situations, including former prosecutor Karim Khan and sitting President Tomoko Akane. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the court as “corrupt and fatally politicized” and said the administration intends to isolate it diplomatically. Several countries have withdrawn from the ICC amid the pressure.
The ICC has condemned the sanctions as an attack on judicial independence. The court maintains that it acts only where national systems fail to address the gravest crimes and that warrants remain in force unless withdrawn by judges.
Family Writers Press International
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