The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill imposing sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for their actions during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The court's decision was reversed. strip.
The bill reached the majority threshold by mid-afternoon Thursday, with dozens of Democrats joining Republicans, but the vote remained pending as lawmakers returned to the Capitol from President Carter's funeral.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-Fla.) made the ICC bill, introduced Friday, a priority as soon as the 119th Congress opens.
Republican congressional aides told The Hill earlier this week that Mast, who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), wanted to send a message early that the United States stands with Israel. .
“The kangaroo court is calling for the arrest of the prime minister of our great ally Israel, but Israel is not only standing up against an enemy who has committed genocide,” Mast told the House of Commons on Thursday ahead of the vote. He said this in the floor. They still have 100 hostages. ”
The bill had support not only from Republicans but also from centrist Democrats who view the ICC as having no legal jurisdiction to request warrants against Israeli government officials. They argue that the court is drawing unfair comparisons between Israel and Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
“The ICC has set a precedent that criminalizes self-defense. Any country that dares to defend itself against an enemy who uses civilians as human shields will face persecution disguised as prosecution.” (New York) Posted in X prior to voting.
“Hamas not only waged war on Israel and ushered in the worst day for Jews since the Holocaust, but also carefully constructed the battlefield to maximize the loss of civilian life. None of the context seems to matter, and facts cannot be allowed to get in the way of an ideological crusade against the Jewish state.”
The bill, called the Anti-Illegal Courts Act, calls for sanctions against court officials and organizations that support courts for attempting to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute” U.S. citizens or nationals of allied nations. There is. is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing courts and determining the countries with jurisdiction.
The bill is scheduled to take effect 60 days after its passage and applies to NATO, the 32-member Western security alliance, and 19 major non-NATO countries, including allies such as Israel.
In November, the ICC arrested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohamed, who was responsible for the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.・A warrant for Mr. Deif's arrest was issued. Israel claimed to have killed Deif, but Hamas has not confirmed his death.
The ICC prosecutor announced last spring that he was charging both Hamas and Israel with war crimes and seeking arrest warrants. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, and Israel also faces accusations of obstructing humanitarian efforts. A United Nations special committee concluded in November that Israel's actions in Gaza constituted genocide, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
The Biden administration rejects the characterization of genocide, but a May report said the use of U.S. weapons by Israel likely violated international law.
Both the United States and Israel maintain that they are not parties to the ICC and are not subject to the court's jurisdiction. However, in their November announcement announcing the writ, ICC judges said the court had jurisdiction because the Palestinian state was a party. The warrant means that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Gallant cannot travel to ICC state parties without risk of arrest.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced Tuesday his intention to bring the bill to the floor, saying Congress would replace “ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.”
“He has no jurisdiction over Israel or the United States, and for them to issue an arrest warrant is outrageous.” Mr Johnson said. “The ICC actually equates Israel with Hamas, even though Hamas continues to hold Israelis and Americans hostage.”
Some Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) criticized Republicans for prioritizing sanctions on the ICC amid economic hardship and impending disasters like the California wildfires.
“All these challenges, and this is what the unreachable, elitist, billionaire Republican Party wants to waste its time on,” he said.
McGovern stood firm on the floor and discussed the measure with Republicans, saying it would not free the hostages and would prevent the ICC from operating around the world where human rights abuses are occurring. .
He said Republicans have not criticized the ICC for warrants against Hamas or Russian President Vladimir Putin. He accused Republicans of opposing the court because they “don't want the rules to apply to everyone.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) has promised to bring the bill to a vote in the Senate, but it will likely need 60 votes to get past the filibuster.
“I made this promise in November. [former Senate Majority] leader [Chuck] Sen. Schumer (D.N.Y.) won't bring the ICC sanctions bill to the floor, but Republicans will, and we will soon make good on that promise and vote in support of our ally Israel. ,” Thune said on the Senate floor Wednesday.
Schumer and the White House opposed consideration of the ICC bill in the last Congress, but Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sought bipartisan agreement on the ICC. He said there was. sanctions bill.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D.N.H.), currently the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: told Jewish Insider On Tuesday, Democrats said they were “considering whether there is an opportunity to propose an alternative” to the current ICC bill.
The previously passed ICC bill has the support of some House Democrats currently in the Senate, including Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.). Both members voted in favor of the bill as members of Congress in September. house.
“I tend to vote consistently,” Slotkin told Jewish Insider when asked about the Senate vote.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also voted “no” during his time in the House, as did Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware).
Former House member Sen. Andy Kim (D.N.J.) did not attend the September vote.
