Trump admits Rubio’s anti-ICC campaign intended to shield Netanyahu from international prosecution
US President Donald Trump has revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts to undermine the International Criminal Court (ICC) were aimed at defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from prosecution.
Trump made the remarks during a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, saying Rubio was “trying to defend Bibi and various other people.”
Rubio told the meeting that the US had “begun an effort to really try to bring them to heel,” arguing that previous attempts to pressure the court into reform had failed.
The comments came weeks after Rubio announced a US campaign to “dismantle” the ICC through what the State Department described as a “whole-of-government response” aimed at restricting the court’s ability to operate.
The campaign followed the ICC’s decision on November 21, 2024, to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Military Affairs Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, the ICC investigates genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute such crimes.
While Washington rejects the court’s authority, the ICC has examined US military actions abroad, including war crimes committed by American personnel in Afghanistan during the country’s two-decade occupation.
The court has also faced calls to examine other US actions, including a strike against Iran that killed more than 168 civilians during US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
Human rights organizations further raised concerns over US operations against Venezuela, including strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump has long rejected the ICC’s authority, declaring in 2018 that the court had “no jurisdiction, no legitimacy, and no authority” over Washington after it moved toward investigating US actions in Afghanistan.
During his second term, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on ICC officials, including former prosecutor Karim Khan and judges involved in investigations concerning US and Israel.
In June, three ICC judges filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in New York, arguing that the sanctions represented “extra-judicial pressure” aimed at undermining the court’s judicial independence.
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