The United States has announced a series of sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to their investigations into alleged American and Israeli war crimes. This move, described by the Trump administration as a necessary measure to protect American and Israeli interests, has been condemned by the ICC and various international entities as a blatant attack on judicial independence. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the sanctions as a strong stance against what he termed a false smear campaign. The latest sanctions target multiple judges and prosecutors within the ICC, including those associated with probes into controversial cases involving the US and Israel. In a show of defiance, the ICC rejected the new US sanctions, calling them an assault on its authority. The diplomatic fallout includes criticism from countries like France and a warning from the United Nations regarding the implications of such actions on global judicial processes.