The White House voiced its opposition on Tuesday to legislation pushed by House Republicans seeking to sanction senior members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their pursuit of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated during a press briefing, “We don’t believe the ICC has jurisdiction in this case, so we don’t support these arrest warrants. However, we don’t believe that sanctioning the ICC is the answer.”
Last week, the US criticized ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Muhammad Deif. Washington objected to the court’s equivalence between Israeli and Hamas leaders, emphasized that Israel is not an ICC member, possesses credible legal systems to handle such matters, and was cooperating with Khan until communication ceased abruptly.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that the administration would collaborate with Congress “on a bipartisan basis to find an appropriate response” to the ICC’s actions against Israel.
Earlier this month, congressional Republicans initiated legislation to sanction ICC officials involved in targeting Israel. While expected to pass in the House, the bill faces challenges in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Congressional Democrats have advocated for a legislative response to the ICC, but sanctions are deemed too extreme, with the White House opposing any reversal of President Joe Biden’s decision to lift sanctions imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump, on the ICC prosecutor.
With the administration against the GOP’s sanctions bill, an alternative possibility is for Congress to pass legislation threatening sanctions against countries adhering to ICC arrest warrants in the case against Israel. Although Biden could enact this through executive order, the administration has not indicated whether it is considering this route.
Kirby also rejected calls from some European leaders to sanction Israel following an International Court of Justice ruling urging Israel to halt military operations in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah. He stated, “We have no plans for these kinds of actions… based on the ICJ ruling,” emphasizing the US’s disagreement with the decision and its stance on the court’s jurisdiction in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
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