Nobel Peace Prize: Navi Pillay rewarded after denouncing the genocide in Gaza, Washington sanctions the ICC and protects war criminals

The day the Nobel Peace Prize rewards a figure of international justice, the Trump administration sanctions the International Criminal Court. On one side, a woman honored for her fight against impunity. On the other, a power which attacks judges as soon as they hold Israeli leaders accountable.

On Friday October 9, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay. At 85, the South African lawyer is rewarded for her commitment to peace and international law. Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, she defends a simple demand: no one should be able to escape justice thanks to their power.

A few hours later, Washington announced sanctions targeting the ICC itself, after having already struck several of its magistrates and prosecutors. This escalation comes as the Court issued arrest warrants against the genocidal Benyamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant . No causal link has been established between the awarding of the Nobel and the new sanctions. But the contrast is overwhelming: while the Nobel Committee honors international justice, Washington attacks the institution which intends to hold the Israeli Prime Minister accountable.

This is the message from the Trump administration: justice can prosecute others, but it must leave Netanyahu alone. When judges are interested in Israeli leaders, Washington uses its power to put obstacles in their way. This policy makes the protection of Israel a free pass and the independence of magistrates an obstacle to be overcome.

The consequences go beyond the fate of a leader. To the victims who demand justice, the United States opposes the protection of its ally. Magistrates who seek to establish responsibilities respond with sanctions. Washington punishes those who pursue and protects those who are pursued. The reversal is as brutal as it is shameful.

This logic was already included in the decree signed by Donald Trump on February 6, 2025. Washington affirmed its opposition to the actions of the ICC targeting the United States, Israel or certain of their allies, and demanded that its partners also oppose them. The American administration therefore intends to have its privileges accepted by the rest of the world. How can we claim to defend international law while attacking the judges who apply it to Israel? How can we teach lessons of justice while seeking to protect the genocidal Netanyahu from prosecution?

Navi Pillay’s career makes this contradiction even more glaring. The UN commission of inquiry that she chaired concluded, in September 2025, that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected this conclusion. The Nobel rewards a woman who has devoted her career to the fight against impunity. The Trump administration is deploying its power against a court that dares to pursue the leaders of its Israeli ally. Washington can continue to talk about peace, freedom and justice. His actions expose an appalling policy of double standards: the great principles in the speeches, the protection of the genocidal Netanyahu in the facts.