Hollywood star George Clooney reportedly called the White House last month to complain about President Biden’s criticism of the International Criminal Court’s efforts to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials.
The Oscar-winning actor’s wife, Amal Clooney, played a key role in pushing for the ICC to indict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Hamas leaders for war crimes in Israel and Gaza, and she could face U.S. sanctions if Biden, 81, signs a bill recently passed by the House of Representatives.
During the call, George Clooney told presidential adviser Steve Ricchetti he was concerned that his wife could be punished under the sanctions bill, and he took issue with Biden’s comments about the arrest warrant and the administration’s initial willingness to impose sanctions on ICC officials. According to the Washington Post.
The outlet said the “Ocean’s Eleven” star was particularly upset that Biden had described his wife’s job as “terrible.”
“The ICC Prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” the president said in a May 20 statement.
“Let me be clear: no matter what this prosecutor says, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to Israel’s security.”
The same day, Amal Clooney announced on the website of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, an organization she and her husband co-founded, that she was one of the experts asked by the International Criminal Court to evaluate evidence of alleged war crimes in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We unanimously conclude that there are probable grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a means of war, murder, persecution and extermination,” the 46-year-old said. Human rights lawyers write:.
She added that the committee found that there were “sufficient grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence.”
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced last month that he would seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu, 74, Gallant, 65, and other Hamas leaders.
Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Anti-Illegal Courts Act, supported by 42 Democrats and all but two Republicans, which would require President Biden to deny entry to the U.S., revoke visas, and impose financial sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) members involved in issuing arrest warrants.
It is unclear whether the Senate will take up the bill, but the White House said Monday that it “strongly opposes” it.
“The bill could call for sanctions against court officials, judges, witnesses, and U.S. allies and partners who provide limited and targeted assistance in various aspects of the court’s operations,” the Biden administration argued.
“There are more effective ways to defend Israel,” the administration’s policy statement said.
It is unclear whether the statement was influenced in any way by Clooney’s phone call.
The White House and the Clooney Foundation for Justice did not respond to The Washington Post’s requests for comment.
George Clooney will be headlining a Biden campaign fundraiser in Hollywood on June 15.
The Hollywood event is also scheduled to feature actress Julia Roberts, former President Barack Obama and late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel.
In 2020, Clooney donated more than $500,000 to support Biden’s White House bid.
