U.S. lawmakers vote to sanction ICC after prosecutor seeks warrant for Israel’s Netanyahu
WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives has voted to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its chief prosecutor seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
The bill was passed along bipartisan lines in a 247-155 vote joined by 42 Democrats despite opposition from the White House.
The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would require mandatory sanctions and visa restrictions on any foreign person working or providing funds for the ICC in prosecutions against the US, Israel or any other US ally that is not party to the ICC.
The vote came after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan last month recommended war crimes charges against Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Yoav Gallant.
The White House previously said it was “deeply concerned” about the ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders but said the Biden administration “strongly opposes” the legislation.
“There are more effective ways to defend Israel, preserve U.S. positions on the ICC, and promote international justice and accountability, and the Administration stands ready to work with Congress on those options,” it said in a statement Monday.
The bill is largely symbolic, since the US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested the issuance of an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant, explaining that the evidence concluded that they systematically deprived the Palestinians of the basics of life and that they were complicit in causing suffering and starving civilians in Gaza.
The war of extermination waged by the occupation against Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October has caused the death of 36,550 Palestinians and the wounding of 82,959. In addition, the occupation aggression caused massive destruction to homes and infrastructure and the health system. The humanitarian catastrophe continues to exacerbate due to the war of starvation and siege imposed by the occupation on Gaza Strip and its prevention of the entry of humanitarian aid into it.
Source : Wafa News Agency
Nada Haj Khidr