House lawmakers are working on a bipartisan response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court’s top prosecutor said he is seeking arrest warrants for both Hamas and senior Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told Fox News Digital during his weekly press conference on Thursday that the top Republican and Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas and ranking committee member Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, are discussing the way forward.
Jeffries added that he had not heard anything from Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who reiterated his determination to fight back against the ICC at his own press conference on Wednesday.
“My understanding is that discussions are ongoing between Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks with the goal being to reach a bipartisan agreement on the International Criminal Court,” Jeffries said.
ICC seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders for ‘war crimes’
Key House members are grappling with a U.S. response to the ICC after the ICC’s chief prosecutor announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Hamas and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a centrist. (Getty Images)
Asked for comment, McCall told FOX News Digital: “The ICC is a flawed and politically motivated judicial body. Furthermore, the ICC has no jurisdiction here and its announcements are subject to the final court. “This is in violation of the ICC’s own stated position.”
“Israel has a strong judicial system so there is no need for the ICC to get involved here. Congress needs to respond with strong bipartisan sanctions. It is unclear what the final bill will look like, but all parties are discussing options,” McCaul said.
The House could go into a week-long recess after Thursday afternoon’s vote, and Congress is unlikely to take action until June.
But Johnson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he was considering multiple options in response.
“There are some great ideas, we’re working on the details,” he said, adding that he would discuss the matter directly with Netanyahu on Friday and again later that day.
“This is a huge threat to the international community, to our allies, and ultimately to us as I explained earlier, so we’re working on the details of that and hopefully it will be a bipartisan bill that everyone can use. “I hope we can come to an agreement and we can stand together,” Johnson said.
One possible option is a House bill introduced earlier this month by Reps. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), members of the Foreign Relations Committee who have worked with the IDF.
Biden slams ICC’s ‘outrageous’ request for arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Jeffries said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul is also participating in the discussion. (Getty Images)
Roy told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he expects their bill to be “about 90% of what we end up paying,” but that it’s up to Johnson and McCaul.
“The only thing that’s being discussed is the issue of exemptions,” Roy said. “There is an exemption clause in our bill, but the exemption is conditional on the ICC withdrawing its action in pursuit of Prime Minister Netanyahu, otherwise there is no exemption.As for whether the exemption should be broader, There is discussion. We have proposed several different alternatives to try to reach a consensus.”
Mast told reporters Wednesday morning that Democrats are seeking broader waivers authority for President Biden.
“There’s a heated debate going on right now between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want the president to waive sanctions and allow these people to attend whatever meetings they want, including the United Nations General Assembly. We is totally against that. Democrats should deal with these people across the board,” Mast said.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Democrat with knowledge of the discussions, said concerns remain about granting the exemption. (Getty Images)
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Mast said he expects a vote to take place in early June.
Asked for further comment, Mr. Johnson’s office said it had nothing to add beyond what Mr. Johnson and Jeffries had said.
Notably, since its announcement by the ICC earlier this week, the Mast-Roi bill has grown in support from its original 15 co-sponsors to 62 co-sponsors (roughly a quarter of the House Republican Conference).
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who is not a co-signer but supports the ICC response, called for strong U.S. action.
“I think it’s important to emphasize that globalist organizations do not simply have broad jurisdiction or authority over sovereign nations,” he said. “I think there’s something fundamentally problematic about nation states being subject to these globalist organizations that are so arbitrary and capricious and politically inclined.”
Israel, like the United States, is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC. The Palestinian Authority joined in 2015.
