Israeli PM Netanyahu calls ICC “kangaroo court,” backs US sanctions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the International Criminal Court (ICC) a “kangaroo court” and accused it of abusing its authority and “undermining the very principles of justice.”

“I commend Secretary of State Marco Rubio for leading the Trump Administration's determined efforts against the ICC's illegitimate overreach, and for making clear that the corrupt officials who lead the ICC will face consequences,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

On August 18, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the ICC’s attempts to assert its authority “over nationals of the United States and other countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction or ratified the Rome Statute” a “dangerous precedent.” The ICC described the sanctions as a threat to the international legal order.

In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip.

By Jeyhun Aghazada