The European Union awarded the International Criminal Court the Sakharov Prize, its highest human rights award, in a move meant to undermine U.S. sanctions designed to cripple the court’s day-to-day operations.

The European Union vowed to protect the ICC’s independence and help it to continue working, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to dismantle it “brick by brick.” The Trump administration imposed the sanctions after Navi Pillay, an anti-Israel U.N. commissioner who authored a report accusing Israel of genocide, won the Nobel Peace Prize. The sanctions are also in retaliation for the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a past investigation into U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan, a case that has since closed.

Neither Israel nor the United States is a party to the Rome Statute, which means that the ICC has no jurisdiction over them.

“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognizes the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who announced the award.

ICC President Tomoko Akane thanked the EU for the award, saying that it comes “at a time when the Court and its officials face unprecedented challenges.”

“Against this backdrop, the Sakharov Prize carries particular significance, reaffirming the importance of independent judicial institutions and of those who work to uphold international law,” she added.

“I welcome the Sakharov Prize awarded to the International Criminal Court. For victims of the world’s gravest crimes, justice means a voice,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement after the prize was awarded. “The International Criminal Court must be free to pursue its mission, independently, and without pressure or intimidation.”

At the time that Rubio announced the sanctions, he said, “President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans.”

“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the International Criminal Court. We will ban ⁠transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate,” he added.

However, the sanctions are structured to allow the court to correct course. To that end, the United States issued several exemptions that would permit some transactions for ICC telecommunications, software, and pension payments, as well as transactions linked to ICC detainees.

“Either the ICC ⁠will end ​its threats, or we will end the ICC. We expect our allies, many of whom are part of ​the ICC and that rely on American servicemembers for their defense, to rein in the court,” Rubio said.

The European Jewish Congress said it was “appalled” by the decision to award the prize to the ICC.

“The ICC’s actions against the State of Israel raise serious concerns about its impartiality and respect for due process,” the EJC said in a statement. “Awarding this prestigious distinction to an institution whose handling of such consequential proceedings remains the subject of serious legal controversy risks undermining the credibility of the prize and the principles it represents.”

The Jewish advocacy group called on the EU to reconsider.

“The EJC calls on the European Parliament to reflect on the implications of this decision and to reaffirm its commitment to the consistent application of international law, procedural fairness and the fundamental principles of justice,” the group said.