Netanyahu hails US for sanctioning more ICC judges involved in case against him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes the latest US sanctions against judges of the International Criminal Court involved in issuing arrest warrants against him over his prosecution of the war in Gaza.

“Israel appreciates the decisive leadership and strong action of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the determination of the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump to confront the scourge of lawfare, which poses a serious threat to both our nations,” Netanyahu’s office tweets.

“Both sanctioned judges sided this week with the ICC’s biased prosecutor Karim Khan, who stands credibly accused of committing serious sexual crimes in his legally specious effort to criminalize the State of Israel in an effort to extricate himself from justice.”

“In so acting, Judges Lordkipanidze and Damdin proved yet again that the ICC is not a court of law, but a political tool of international lawfare.”

“As long as the ICC refuses to abide by its own rules of complementarity or to accept that it has no jurisdiction over non-member states, it cannot be treated as an institution of law.”

“Rather, it must be viewed and treated for what it is: a hostile political body dedicated to destroying the nation-state system, first and foremost by unlawfully pursuing false prosecutions against the State of Israel and the United States of America,” Netanyahu’s office adds.