The United States House of Representatives has approved a bill to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The lower chamber of the US Congress passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” with overwhelming support, 243 to 140, demonstrating strong backing for Israel.
Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in endorsing the bill, with no Republicans opposing it.
The next step is for the bill to move to the Senate, where there is currently a Republican majority.
The legislation proposes sanctions against individuals assisting the ICC in its efforts to investigate, detain, or prosecute US citizens or citizens of allied countries that do not recognize the court’s authority.
Both the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC.
The sanctions would include freezing assets and denying visas to individuals who support the court financially or materially.
“America is enacting this law due to the unjust arrest warrants issued against the Prime Minister of our valued ally, Israel,” stated Representative Brian Mast, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, prior to the vote.
Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where many Palestinians have lost their lives, US Republicans continue to strongly support Israel, as shown in this recent vote in Congress.
In response to ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, US legislators threatened retaliation against the court, despite calls from human rights groups to reject punitive action.
Additional human rights organizations have condemned the House bill ahead of the vote, warning that sanctioning the ICC would hinder access to justice and weaken international alliances.
Despite the concerns raised, the US Senate, under Majority Leader John Thune, plans to swiftly consider the act so that President Trump can sign it into law after his inauguration on January 20.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, is a permanent court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.
Although the US has supported the ICC in some instances, the current move to sanction the court reflects ongoing tensions between the US, Israel, and the international judicial institution.
Prosecutor Karim Khan, who issued the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, maintains that his decision aligns with the court’s standards and is crucial to preventing further crimes.
