The US House of Representatives passed a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials in response to an arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The bill faces support in the Senate, despite concerns about US support for Israel's war against Hamas.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in response to the court issuing an arrest warrant for Israel i Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . The ICC's targeting of Netanyahu has sparked backlash from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The GOP-led Senate is expected to next take up the bill.
There remains widespread bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for US military assistance to Israel, but scrutiny over US support for Israel’s war against Hamas has intensified as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has grown worse. The issue has opened up a rift within the Democratic Party as progressives have been highly critical of the Israeli government. The ICC issued arrest warrants last year for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a senior Hamas official, accusing them of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. The prime minister’s office has dismissed the warrants as “absurd and antisemitic.” The legislation calls for the warrants against the Israeli officials to be “condemned in the strongest possible terms.” And, according to the legislative text, the measure would impose sanctions with respect to the court over “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include prohibiting US property transactions and blocking and revoking visas. Headquartered at The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICC was established in 2002 and is tasked with prosecuting individuals for crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The ICC does not have its own enforcement mechanism and has relied on countries’ support for arrests. Israel, like the United States, is not a member of the ICC and has challenged the court’s jurisdiction over its actions in the conflict. The House passed the ICC sanctions bill in the last session of Congress by a vote of 247 to 155, with 42 Democrats joining Republicans in support, but it was not brought to a vote in the Senate, which was then under Democratic control. Congressional Republicans are bringing it back up now that they control both the House and the Senate.
International Law Middle East International Criminal Court Israel Benjamin Netanyahu US Sanctions House Of Representatives Senate War Crimes Hamas
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