US House passes bill seeking ICC sanctions over Netanyahu arrest warrants
The bill passed the House 247 to 155, with 42 Democrats voting with Republicans.
A Republican-backed bill was enacted by the US House of Representatives to punish the International Criminal Court (ICC) for threatening to issue Netanyahu arrest warrants for prominent Israeli figures, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, a bill introduced by Representative Chip Roy of Texas and backed by more than 70 Republican colleagues, would penalize anyone who looks into, arrests, detains or prosecutes protected individuals of the US and its allies.
The ICC officials’ U.S. visas have been revoked, their entry into the nation has been blocked, and their property transactions have been hindered, among other measures.
Netanyahu Arrest Warrants: International Repercussions and Controversy
This is believed to be a reaction to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to request arrest warrants for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suspected crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Gaza War.
The Rome Statute of 2002 established the International Criminal Court (ICC), an independent international court with the authority to try and convict people for crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of aggression, and genocide. The court depends on nations’ backing for arrests because it lacks its enforcement tool.
The bill passed the House 247 to 155, with 42 Democrats voting with Republicans. Democrats, who control the Senate, are unlikely to embrace the law, and President Joe Biden has voiced his disapproval, claiming that it is too broad and may lead to penalties against judges, court employees, witnesses, and American friends.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said that “the ICC must be held accountable for this action. We cannot let this transpire.”
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), declared last month that he had “reasonable grounds” to suspect that leaders of Hamas, Netanyahu, and Gallant were “criminally responsible” for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.
On October 7, 2023, militants from Hamas started attacks in southern Israel, setting off a confrontation that left almost 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli officials. Since then, the health ministry controlled by Hamas claims that at least 36,470 Palestinians have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s military effort to eliminate Hamas.
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