Once again, US has shown its staunch support for Israel as the House of Representatives passed a bill to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials over Israel warrants.

Underscoring the broad support for Israel in the chamber, 45 Democrats joined with 198 Republicans to pass the bill, which will need to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate and be signed by the President before it becomes law.

The 140 opponents of the House bill were all Democrats. One Republican voted “present.”

The bill would require sanctions on ICC officials “engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies,” particularly Israel.

The legislation’s text called the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “illegitimate and baseless.”

It said that the warrants “create a damaging precedent that threatens the United States, Israel, and all United States partners who have not consented to the ICC’s jurisdiction.”

The ICC has maintained that the warrants are valid because the alleged war crimes were committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The State of Palestine is a signatory of the ICC’s founding charter, the Rome statute. The sanctions bill could also apply to ICC member states that aid in enforcing the warrants.

President-elect Trump, who takes office on January 20, had previously sanctioned ICC officials during his first term.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) praised the 198-140 vote, which would sanction ICC officials for issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. “We urge the Senate to quickly pass this important legislation,” the group said.

However, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, in a social media post, slammed her US House colleagues for passing a bill to sanction ICC officials.

“What’s their top priority the first week of the new Congress? Lowering costs? Addressing the housing crisis? No, it’s sanctioning the International Criminal Court to protect genocidal maniac Netanyahu so he can continue the genocide in Gaza.”
Rashida Tlaib

Congressman Thomas Massie, who voted “present” on a bill to sanction ICC officials over their arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that US lawmakers should focus on America.

“The US House did only one thing today. We passed a bill to protect Israeli PM Netanyahu from the International Criminal Court.”
Thomas Massie

The Congressman added that the international court has no authority over the US, but Washington should “not get involved in disputes between other countries.”

Also, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was among the Democrats who opposed the bill, wrote in a post on X that “human rights lawyers and others documenting the worst atrocities committed on this planet are heroes who should be celebrated – not punished when the war criminals they pursue are allies of the United States.”

The congresswoman also took aim at the broad text of the bill, which could see not only ICC officials, but anyone who aids the international court in its prosecution, sanctioned.

“The way this bill is written, Israeli survivors of the Hamas massacres on October 7th who gave testimony about the crimes they endured could be sanctioned for cooperating with the ICC.”
Ilhan Omar

Amnesty International Defends The ICC

Amnesty International defended the ICC, which had charged the Israeli officials with war crimes in Gaza, as “an independent judicial institution dedicated to combating impunity for the gravest crimes known to humanity.”

It added that the ICC is part of a global system of “international justice of which the US was a chief architect at Nuremberg and beyond,” referring to the post-World War II prosecution of Nazis in the German town.

The group asserted that if the Senate follows suit, it will do grave harm to the interests of all victims globally and to the US government’s ability to champion human rights and the cause of justice.

The bill will have to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President for it to become law.

“This bill would also be a significant blow to efforts to secure justice for Putin’s victims in Ukraine, and for the victims of both genocides in Darfur, including the one that is ongoing.”
Amnesty International