House Passes Bill to Sanction ICC over Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant By David Zimmermann
The House passed a bipartisan bill to sanction the International Criminal Court on Thursday after the body issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant in November.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 243–140, with 45 Democrats in support. Many lawmakers were absent for the vote, which coincided with former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral in Washington, D.C.
Thursday’s vote marks the second time that the House has passed the measure, which went nowhere last year in the Democrat-dominated Senate. Republican lawmakers revived the bill now that they control both chambers of Congress.
The ICC accused Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, of war crimes during Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which was sparked by the Palestinian terrorist group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The Jewish state claimed responsibility for the death of Deif, one of the reported masterminds behind the terror attack.
The warrants prevent Netanyahu and Gallant from traveling to 125 countries that are party to the ICC. The pair would be arrested if they were to step foot in any of those jurisdictions.
Congressional Republicans and moderate Democrats, who ally themselves with Israel, sharply criticized the ICC for seeking the arrests of the Israeli leaders. As such, they backed legislation to punish the court.
“A kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel, which is not only responding to an enemy which conducted a genocide, but an enemy who still holds 100 hostages,” Representative Brian Mast (R., Fla.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on the House floor ahead of the vote.
Among the Democrats who supported the measure, Representative Ritchie Torres (D., N.Y.) also labeled the ICC “a kangaroo court” for “distorting [the law] beyond recognition” in pursuing the arrest of the Israeli leaders without acknowledging that Hamas had started the war.
The bill calls for the arrest warrants to be “condemned in the strongest possible terms.” It also seeks to impose sanctions on anyone affiliated with the court related to “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions would include prohibitions against U.S. property transactions and the blocking or revocation of visas.
Because the U.S. and Israel are not signatories of the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC in 2002, the two nations are not subject to the court’s jurisdiction. The ICC contends it has jurisdiction in this case because Israel’s war involves Gaza, which the court said is part of the unofficial state of Palestine.
House speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) first announced Tuesday that the chamber would bring the bill to the floor for another vote, saying ICC prosecutor Karim Khan should be put “back in his place.”
“He does not have jurisdiction over Israel or the United States, and it is outrageous that they’re issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister Gallant,” Johnson said. “The ICC is actually equating Israel and Hamas, even as Hamas still holds Israelis and American hostage.”
If passed and signed into law, the bill would take effect 60 days later. The legislation is now headed toward the Republican-controlled Senate, and it will likely require 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. With Senate majority leader John Thune (R., S.D.) now at the helm, Johnson said he expects the bill will be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.
Comments are closed.
