Republican and Democratic representatives are working on legislation in the face of the latent threat that the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials and senior members of the Hamas terrorist group.
According to Axios, different members of Congress warned the court "that arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials will be met with U.S. retaliation — and legislation to that effect is already in the works."
The legislators' threat comes just as numerous reports indicate that the International Criminal Court is willing to issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials. This action could even harm Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel.
According to The New York Times, the orders could also affect members of Hamas, although it was not clear which member of the terrorist group could be mentioned in the court order.
According to reports, the International Criminal Court has been investigating allegations of war crimes against Israel and pro-Palestinian terrorists since 2014.
However, the United States appears willing to close ranks around Israel on this issue.
The White House, although it has not defended Israel's military actions in recent months after the terrorist attacks of October 7, said flatly that it does not support the investigation of the International Criminal Court.
Likewise, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, warned that "If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel, thereby endangering our country's sovereign authority."
According to Axios, legislation is already being prepared in Congress with potential sanctions against ICC officials if arrest warrants are issued against Israelis.
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) revealed this, telling the outlet that he is awaiting a version of Republican Senator Tom Cotton's bill to sanction court officials for participating in investigations against the United States and its allies, such as Israel.
Several legislators from both parties have already publicly questioned the ICC.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the International Criminal Court was about to ally itself with "terrorists" and "genocidaires."
"The ICC is on the verge of throwing in with genocidal terrorists and against a democracy responding to acts of terror. They want Israel to accept suicidal terms for a ceasefire that will not work. It would be the end of the ICC's credibility. The absolute minimum response from the U.S. if the ICC targets Israel would be sanctions against the Court and its officials," Cruz wrote.
The ICC is on the verge of throwing in with genocidal terrorists and against a democracy responding to acts of terror. They want Israel to accept suicidal terms for a ceasefire that will not work. It would be the end of the ICC's credibility. The absolute minimum response from… https://t.co/AhBiJWQXCx
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 29, 2024
Democratic Senator John Fetterman, agreeing with Cruz, said that issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials would involve "a fatal blow to the judicial and moral standing of ICC."
It would be a fatal blow to the judicial and moral standing of ICC to pursue this path against Israel.
Calling on @POTUS to intervene as part of the administration’s ongoing commitment to Israel. pic.twitter.com/tPXDxhh9nw
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 29, 2024
Likewise, the United States is not the only Israeli ally that is pressuring the International Criminal Court not to issue arrest warrants.
According to Bloomberg, G7 countries are also waging a quiet campaign to persuade the court's efforts amid fears that the arrest warrants will destroy a potential deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire.
What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
The ICC, not to be confused with the United Nations International Court of Justice that judges countries, is a court of justice based in The Hague, Netherlands, that prosecutes individuals accused of crimes against humanity, war, aggression, and genocide.
The ICC is regulated by the Rome Statute (1998) and has jurisdiction over the states that sign the convention. However, this statute does not have the signature or ratification of several global powers, including the United States, Israel, Russia, China and others.
