The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to advance a largely symbolic bill calling for sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Hague-based court’s prosecutor has said Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant should be arrested on charges relating to the war in Gaza, along with three leaders of militant group Hamas.
The US House of Representative’s Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act — backed by almost every Republican and around one-fifth of Democrats — would bar US entry for ICC officials involved with the case, revoking their visas and restricting any US-based property transactions.
Photo: AFP
“Today’s vote draws a line in the sand for lawless action by ICC officials,” Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.
“The US firmly stands with Israel and refuses to allow international bureaucrats to baselessly issue arrest warrants to Israeli leadership for false crimes,” Johnson said.
However, the legislation is considered a “messaging bill,” as it is unlikely to be taken up by the Democratic-run US Senate and could be vetoed in any case by US President Joe Biden, who has said he “strongly opposes” it.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan last month said he was seeking warrants for the two Israelis — as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif — on suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ICC’s 124 member states would ultimately decide whether to enforce any warrants issued by its judges. Neither Israel nor the US are members.
While the White House has criticized the ICC and Biden called the application for arrest warrants “outrageous,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby last week said that sanctions were not “the right approach.”
US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller on Tuesday reaffirmed the policy, saying: “Our position as the administration is we don’t support sanctions. We don’t believe it is appropriate at this time.”
Netanyahu in an interview broadcast on Sunday said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the US stance, amid strained relations between Washington and its ally over the rising death toll in Gaza.
Biden on Friday last week announced that Israel was offering a new road map toward a permanent peace, outlining a three-phase proposal that would start with a six-week complete ceasefire.
However, Netanyahu insisted his country would still pursue the war until it had reached all its goals.
Hostilities in Gaza broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7 last year, resulting in 1,194 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
At least 36,550 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the conflict, according to data provided by the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza.
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