'He's war hero and I'm too': Trump slams International Criminal Court for action against Netanyahu, imposes sanctions

United States President Donald Trump has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he are "war heroes" while praising the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Trump also slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Moreover, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on four court officials, including a judge from France, for their involvement in cases against Israeli leaders. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures, calling the ICC a threat to national security and accusing it of targeting American and Israeli citizens without their nations’ consent.

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“Bibi is a good man. He’s in there fighting. He’s fighting. You know, they’re trying to put him in jail on top of everything else. How about that?” Trump told Levin. “He’s a war hero, because we work together. He’s a war hero. I guess I am, too," Trump said in an interview on “The Mark Levin Show". Trump also praised US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, saying, “The pilots came. I rewarded them. I brought them all to the Oval Office. The people having to do with that whole operation, which was so perfect, which was a total of, you know, just an obliteration.”

Trump's remark comes despite the ICC's arrest warrant against Netanyahu for his war crimes. Alongside Netanyahu, the ICC has also issued warrants for former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, the latter of whom Israel recently confirmed it had killed. The court holds all three accountable for war crimes committed during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

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Reaction to the US sanctions on ICC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, welcomed the sanctions. He thanked Rubio for taking decisive action against what he described as a campaign of lies targeting Israel and its military. The ICC accuses Netanyahu of ordering attacks on civilians and using starvation as a war tactic during Israel’s offensive in Gaza. France, whose citizen Judge Nicolas Guillou was among those sanctioned, criticised the move. The French foreign ministry described the sanctions as contrary to the principle of judicial independence. The ICC also condemned the US action, labelling it a direct attack on the court’s impartiality and independence. In addition to Judge Guillou, the US sanctioned, Judge Kimberly Prost of Canada, connected to an investigation into alleged war crimes during the Afghanistan conflict, including actions by US personnel. Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal) for supporting the ICC’s pursuit of Israeli leaders. Those targeted will face travel bans to the US and asset freezes, typically used against hostile states rather than allies.

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