The US State Department announced on the 20th that it will impose sanctions on two judges and two deputy prosecutors of the International Criminal Court. They were directly involved in the Court's investigation, arrest, detention, or prosecution of US and Israeli citizens without the consent of the United States and Israel.
The State Department's press release pointed out that the four individuals are from Canada, France, Fiji, and Senegal. The two judges were sanctioned for authorizing the International Criminal Court to investigate US personnel in Afghanistan and for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. The two deputy prosecutors were deemed to have continued to support the International Criminal Court's "illegal actions" against Israel, including supporting the court's issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
The State Department said that the assets of the sanctioned individuals in the United States or those held or controlled by US citizens would be frozen, and their asset details must also be reported to US authorities.
The International Criminal Court issued a statement the same day condemning the US sanctions, stating that the US measures are an "open attack" on the court's independence. The ICC added it "staunchly supports its staff as well as victims of unimaginable atrocities" and that it "will not be deterred by any restrictions, pressures, or threats" and will continue to fulfill its duties.
In recent years, the United States has repeatedly imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court. The most recent sanctions took place on June 5 of this year, when the US government, citing the ICC's investigation of US personnel and its issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, announced economic sanctions against four ICC judges.