Secretary of State Marco Rubio lashed out at the International Criminal Court as he announced US sanctions on the court as an institution, calling it a “rogue court,” claiming that President Trump “will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” and threatening: “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”

But Trump himself said in July that the campaign against the court is not about him. “There’s no information that they’re after me,” he told a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, adding that Rubio “is not trying to defend me. He’s trying to defend Bibi and various other people.” Netanyahu is wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After the sanctions were announced, Netanyahu’s office thanked Trump and Rubio “for taking this critical decision to sanction the ICC”.