US House passes bill to sanction International Criminal Court over Israel

Washington — The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) to protest its issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister over Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

The vote was 243 to 140 in favour of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act”, which would sanction any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes US citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, that have not consented to the court’s jurisdiction. It grants the administration authority to order asset freezes and to deny visas.

Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republican voted against it.

“America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” representative Brian Mast, Republican chair of the House foreign affairs committee, said in a House speech before the vote. Mast accused the ICC of anti-Semitism, adding that it sent a strong message to the world.

The House vote, one of the first since the new Congress was seated last week, underscored strong support among president-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans for Israel’s government, now that they control both chambers in Congress.

Trump will be sworn in on January 20 for a second term as president.

The Senate’s newly appointed Republican majority leader, John Thune, has promised swift consideration of the act in his chamber so Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office.

The ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression in member states or by their nationals.

The court has said its decision to pursue warrants against the Israeli officials was in line with its approach in all cases, based on an assessment by the prosecutor that there was enough evidence to proceed, and the view that seeking arrest warrants immediately could prevent ongoing crimes.

Congressional Republicans have been denouncing the ICC since it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the 15-month-long Gaza conflict. Israel rejects the allegations.

The Republican-led House passed the act seeking to sanction the ICC in June, but the measure was never taken up in the Senate, which at the time was controlled by a Democratic majority.

Reuters