Netanyahu praises new US sanctions on ICC: ‘A firm step against the false smear campaign’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hails the new round of US sanctions on International Criminal Court officials, calling it a decisive stand in defense of Israel.

“I congratulate Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, for deciding to impose sanctions on the judges of the International Court in The Hague,” Netanyahu says in a statement. “This is a firm step against the false smear campaign targeting the State of Israel and the IDF, and in favor of truth and justice.”

Washington announced a short time ago that it was sanctioning four ICC figures, including Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, who signed off last year on arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Two deputy prosecutors, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, were targeted for upholding those warrants, while Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost was designated for authorizing the ICC’s investigation into US personnel in Afghanistan.

The move comes after four ICC officials were sanctioned by the US in June, bringing the total to eight.

Both Jerusalem and Washington argue the court has no jurisdiction over Israel, since it never joined the Rome Statute, and refuse to recognize the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign state with the right to request such action.