The sanctions target Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze from Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin from Mongolia. Rubio noted that they "were directly involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli citizens without the consent of that country." These measures were implemented under an executive order by President Donald Trump issued in February.
The sanctions resulted from the fact that the mentioned judges rejected one of Israel's attempts to challenge the ICC's investigation into the conflict in Gaza. They were part of the panel that declined to overturn a lower court's decision that the investigation could continue even after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The International Criminal Court condemned the sanctions, calling them "a blatant attack on the independence of an impartial judicial body." The court's official statement emphasizes that such measures threaten the international rule of law.
Although the U.S. and Israel are not members of the ICC, the Palestinian territory was accepted as a member state of the court in 2015. In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The sanctions imposed in February include the freezing of assets within the U.S. and a travel ban to the country for those under the restrictions, as well as for their family members.
