ICC judge who targeted Netanyahu says US sanctions left him '30 years back in time'
A French judge who presided over the ICC panel that issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024 says US sanctions have cut him off from nearly all digital payment systems, leaving him unable to use his bank card, order from Amazon or book travel. "We are going 30 years back in time," he said.
A French judge who presided over a panel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) that issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024 said he was struggling with basic daily transactions after being placed on a US sanctions list, noting that nearly all payment systems in France were American-controlled and he had been cut off from them. Nicolas Gouyou said he could no longer use his bank card, order from Amazon, book through Airbnb or complete transactions on Expedia and Booking.com.
'Going 30 years back'
"We are going 30 years back in time," he told France TV. "It's like a time machine returning us to a pre-digital world." The sanctions have effectively disabled his ability to participate in modern commerce, highlighting the reach of US financial power.
France's diplomatic efforts
The television station said French President Emmanuel Macron had written seven letters requesting the lifting of the sanctions but that US authorities had yet to respond favorably. A source at the Elysee told the broadcaster that France was continuing to pursue the matter through diplomacy and regretted the lack of a positive response from Washington. Gouyou said he believed he would remain on the sanctions list for the duration of US President Donald Trump's second term.
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Warning on democracy
The judge warned of broader consequences for democratic institutions. "If prosecutors are afraid to prosecute, if lawyers are afraid to defend, if judges are afraid to judge, if parliamentarians are afraid to pass laws, and if ministers are afraid to enforce them, there is no more democracy," he said, noting those people would act "exclusively out of fear" of punishment.
ICC warrant context
On Nov. 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip from at least Oct. 8, 2023 through May 20, 2024. Israel launched a war on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 71,000 people, injuring over 172,000 and destroying about 90% of the enclave's civilian infrastructure. Despite an October 2025 ceasefire, Israel has continued daily attacks, killing at least 677 Palestinians and injuring 1,813 others since then, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
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