The UN's human rights chief has demanded the US government withdraw sanctions it imposed on four judges at the International Criminal Court , the ICC.

Volker Türk said in a statement that "attacks against judges" run directly counter to "respect for the rule of law and the equal protection of the law – values for which the US has long stood".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on Thursday, for what he described as the "illegitimate" targeting of Israel and the US.

PM  Netanyahu thanked Rubio and US President Donald Trump for the intervention, saying they had "stood up for the right of Israel".

The sanctions are in response to the ICC issuing arrest warrants  for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan.

KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with Nick Kaufman , a defense counsel at the ICC.