Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanks Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the US slaps sanctions on Palestinian NGOs fueling the ICC’s campaign against Israel.
Israel applauded Washington on Thursday after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sweeping sanctions against three Palestinian Arab NGOs accused of driving the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecution efforts against Israeli leaders.
“The ICC has been aided by the Palestinian NGOs — Al Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights — in its politicized crusade against Israel,” said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. “The ICC did so while trampling the principles of international law. I thank Secretary Rubio for yet another moral decision and for standing by Israel!”
In his statement, Rubio made clear the administration’s position: “These organizations directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent.”
He added: “The United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and are therefore not subject to the ICC’s authority. We oppose the ICC’s politicized agenda, overreach, and disregard for the sovereignty of the United States and that of our allies. The ICC’s ongoing actions set a dangerous precedent for all nations, and we will actively oppose any attempt to infringe on our sovereignty or that of Israel.”
The new sanctions come on the heels of earlier US actions against ICC officials. In June, the Trump administration sanctioned four ICC judges, two of whom authorized the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The others approved an investigation into alleged abuses by US forces in Afghanistan.
Last month, Washington sanctioned ICC judges Kimberly Prost (Canada) and Nicolas Guillou (France), along with deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal), for pursuing cases against US and Israeli nationals. The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, had already been placed on the US Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
The coordinated campaign underscores a clear message from both Jerusalem and Washington: the ICC’s attempts to target Israeli leaders and US personnel will be met with forceful pushback.
