US sanctions on the International Criminal Court.. Netanyahu accuses Navi Pillay of “demonizing the Jews”

The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court today, Friday (October 9, 2026), hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington would ban dealings with what he described as a “rogue court,” in an escalation of a long-running campaign waged by President Donald Trump’s administration against the court based in The Hague.

This step came on the same day that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, the 85-year-old South African human rights activist who presided over the case of the Special Tribunal for the Genocide in Rwanda, served as a judge at the International Criminal Court, and then headed a United Nations committee that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies such accusations.

Rubio's statement did not mention Pillay or the Nobel Prize, but he said that these sanctions were necessary to protect members of the security services and elected officials from prosecution before a court that the United States has never joined.

“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said, adding that these measures would cut off the court’s resources and “paralyze its ability to function.”

"History will judge"

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court, expressing his "deep concern about the expected impact" of these measures.

Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters, “Today’s decision represents a severe blow to our common endeavors to achieve international criminal justice, of which the court is a fundamental pillar.” He added, "The Secretary-General renews his firm support for the independence of the court and its officials."

The International Criminal Court rejected the US sanctions and considered them an attack on international law, warning in a statement that “history will judge this moment.”

The Swiss government reiterated its support for the International Criminal Court, and rejected the sanctions announced by the United States against this body. The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the X platform, “Switzerland reaffirms its support for the International Criminal Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution.”

"Demonization of the Jews"

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a sharp attack on Navi Pillay, describing the internationally respected South African human rights activist as a "fanatic" working to "demonize the Jews."

“The Nobel Committee has lost its moral compass,” Netanyahu said on the X platform. She gave her highest prize to a fanatic... Today, members of the Nobel Committee who went astray chose to honor this woman who promoted the demonization of Jews.”

The Israeli Prime Minister praised the sanctions imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court.

“Awarding Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize does not represent a tribute to justice, but rather a distorted use of the award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and bias,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X following Pillay’s win.

Pillay responded to her accusation of anti-Semitism following the release of the report that accused Israel of committing genocide by saying, "The matter would have been funny if it had not been so ridiculous."

"I defended the rights of the oppressed"

On the other hand, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised South African judge Navi Pillay, noting her defense of “the rights of the oppressed.”

The ministry said in a statement that Pillay “devoted her life to emphasizing the primacy of law as the pillar of the international system, and justice as its distinctive feature,” and “she sought the truth and defended the rights of the oppressed in South Africa and in the world, including in Palestine, with all integrity, courage and honor.”

She considered that awarding her the Nobel Prize was “a well-deserved award in recognition of her efforts to promote peace and international law.”