The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials for alleged war crimes during the war with Hamas.
The sanctions bill, proposed by pro-Israel Republicans, was passed on Tuesday by a vote of 247-155. No Republican member voted against the proposal.
However, the bill is unlikely to become law as it is expected to be rejected by Democrats who control the US Senate, where it must pass before reaching the president for approval.
Indeed, President Joe Biden, who termed the ICC’s actions “outrageous,” has indicated that he “strongly opposes” the proposal to sanction the war crimes court.
“There are more effective ways to defend Israel, preserve U.S. positions on the ICC, and promote international justice,” Biden’s administration said on Monday.
Nevertheless, some Senate Democrats, including John Fetterman, known for his strong backing of Israel, have shown readiness to support the bill.
“I really would like to sanction the ICC for that. That was trash,” he said.
If the bill becomes law, it will also revoke any US visas held by ICC officials and prohibit them from engaging in property transactions within the US.
- US senators threaten ICC over Netanyahu’s potential arrest
- How the ‘laws of war’ apply to the conflict between Israel and Hamas
- Why ICC prosecutor Khan wants Netanyahu arrested
In April, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defence of Israel, as well as Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, and others, bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes during the war in Gaza.
The remarks, marking the first time the ICC targeted a top leader of a close US ally, triggered a storm in the US, with twelve senators accusing the ICC of punishing Israel for its legitimate self-defense against Iranian-backed aggressors.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called for the sanctioning of the ICC on Tuesday over the action, which he says cannot be allowed to stand.
“If the ICC was allowed to do this and go after the leaders of countries whose actions they disagree with, why would they not come after America?” he posed.
Netanyahu is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress this summer, which is likely to stir up more tension about how Israel is handling the war.
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