The US government has placed sanctions on four ICC judges regarding the Gaza investigation, mirroring their response to probes into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
Washington has imposed sanctions on four judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to their involvement in investigations of potential war crimes committed by Israel, a key US ally. RT explores these actions, which have been criticized as examples of Western hypocrisy.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging they committed serious offenses in Gaza, including using starvation as a weapon, following the deadly 2023 Hamas attack.
Israel, which hasn’t signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, claims the court has no authority over its citizens. In February, Washington criticized the ICC and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, regarding the arrest warrants. Earlier this month, it imposed sanctions on four judges involved in the Gaza investigation. The US State Department called the probe an “illegitimate and baseless” action against the US and Israel.
RT’s investigation reveals a pattern in the US sanctions. Two of the sanctioned judges previously authorized an ICC investigation into alleged crimes by US forces in Afghanistan. At that time, Washington strongly opposed the investigation, sanctioning ICC officials and pressuring Afghanistan to reject the court’s jurisdiction. The ICC eventually removed the US from the case in 2021, stating its decision to focus on investigating the Taliban and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
The current sanctions indicate a strategy where the US protects itself and its allies from being held accountable, while selectively supporting the ICC when it suits its interests. Washington praised the court when it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023.
Critics contend that the ICC, initially intended as a global moral authority, has become a tool of Western powers, advancing their geopolitical goals. The US doesn’t recognize the court’s authority but has pressured other countries to comply. In 2016, then-State Department spokesman John Kirby criticized Burundi’s attempt to withdraw from the court, warning it would “isolate Burundi from the international community.”
Watch the full RT report below.