The International Criminal Court (ICC) is facing bipartisan condemnation of its arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC is an international tribunal designed to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
ICC prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan has been investigating Israeli and Hamas actions in Palestinian Territories.
Prosecutor Khan already faced resistance from Republicans and Democrats alike when he initially requested the arrest warrants from the ICC.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), for example, condemned the arrest warrant requests as “not only profoundly unfair, but (also) reprehensible.”
“As disappointing as the ICC’s decision is,” continued Schumer, “it comes as no surprise because for decades and decades the ICC has shown it harbors deep biases against Israel.”
Now that the ICC has approved the arrest warrants, all 125 countries that are part of the ICC are presumably legally obligated to detain and extradite Netanyahu and Gallant if they are found within their borders.
In response, some US lawmakers are calling for sanctions to be applied to the ICC and countries that cooperate with the ICC’s prosecution of Israeli officials.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called on President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, who both condemned the ICC’s arrest warrants, to ensure such sanctions are imposed on the ICC.
“We cannot let the world believe for a moment that this is a legitimate exercise of jurisdiction by the Court against Israel because to do so means we could be next,” said Senator Graham. “I will be introducing legislation that puts other countries on notice – If you aid and abet the ICC after their action against the State of Israel, you can expect consequences from the United States. Any nation that joins with the ICC after this outrage is a partner in a reckless act that tramples the rule of law.”
Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) similarly condemned the arrest warrant requests and, naturally, blasted the ICC’s granting of such requests.
Representative Moskowitz accused the ICC of "turning a blind eye" to Israel.
"The ICC turned a blind eye to many atrocities, including Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons to kill hundreds of thousands of Syrians,” said Moskowitz. “But when it comes to Israel defending itself against Hamas, the ICC doesn’t hesitate to exercise this antisemitic double standard.”
