Trump Says US Effort Against ICC Aimed at Defending Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts to challenge the International Criminal Court (ICC) were intended to defend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from prosecution. Speaking during a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, Trump said Rubio was “trying to defend Bibi and various other people.”

Rubio told the meeting that the United States had “begun an effort to really try to bring them to heel,” arguing that previous attempts to pressure the ICC into reform had been unsuccessful. His remarks came weeks after the State Department announced a government-wide campaign to limit the court’s ability to operate, describing it as a “whole-of-government response” aimed at dismantling the ICC.

The US campaign followed the ICC’s November 21, 2024, decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza. Established under the Rome Statute in 2002, the ICC investigates allegations of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute such cases.