House Republicans this week are set to consider a bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a decision by its top prosecutor last month to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The House Rules Committee hearing was held this week to discuss the proposed bill.
“We think it’s important for Republicans and Democrats to stand together and send a message to the international community that the abuses of the ICC cannot be allowed to go forward,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Speaking to ‘Fox News Sunday’ to discuss the White House opposing Republicans' bill to sanction the ICC after it put out arrest warrants on Israeli officials, he said, “The idea that President Biden would backtrack on that and disagree with us that we should impose sanctions on ICC officials when they are threatening to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel and the Defense Minister...is to us unconscionable.”
Biden is not only facing Republican criticism. He is also in disaccord with his own Democratic Party. A large number of Democrats support efforts to impose sanctions on the ICC and therefore, enhancing the bill's chances of being passed in the House.
The lawmakers backing the bill accuse the ICC of “historic bias” against Israel.
In a letter written by more than 20 Democrats, the lawmakers called on the Biden administration “to consult with Congress to immediately impose sanctions against the ICC's Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and any other officials who have demonstrated undue bias in their actions.”
The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act
According to the proposed bill, “the President shall impose sanctions on the ICC not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the Act if the International Criminal Court is engaging in any attempt to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person.”
The protected persons are US military personnel, US officials, and officials and military personnel of certain allied countries.
The bill notes that the sanctions will be imposed on ICC members and their immediate family members and to deny them a visa or other documentation to enter the United States.
Also, it calls on the President to exercise all of his powers to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property of any foreign person affected by the sanctions.
The bill also clarifies that the United States and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute or members of the ICC, and therefore the Court has no legitimacy or jurisdiction over the United States or Israel.
Last week, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that the sanctions were not the right answer.
