US sanctions 2 International Criminal Court judges over rejecting Israel’s appeal of war crimes arrest warrants

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US is imposing sanctions on two additional International Criminal Court (ICC) judges after the court rejected Israel’s challenge to the legality of its investigation into war crimes committed in Gaza since October 2023.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said judges Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia were designated under President Donald Trump’s February executive order authorizing sanctions on ICC officials, accusing them of participating in what he called the court’s “illegitimate targeting of Israel.”

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15,” Rubio said in the statement.

Rubio called the ICC's efforts to hold Israel accountable “politicized actions targeting Israel.”

The sanctions followed Monday’s ruling by the ICC’s appeals chamber, which rejected Israel’s effort to invalidate arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In that decision, ICC judges ruled that the court’s investigation into alleged crimes committed in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023 was already covered by a 2021 notification issued to Israel and did not require a new notice under the Rome Statute.