How US politicians responded to Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrant

Washington, DC – When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke successful beforehand of the United States Congress earlier this year, the lawmakers stood up and clapped for him dozens of times.

Now that helium is simply a formally suspected warfare transgression wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the adoration helium received successful Washington, DC, successful July from US politicians is turning into choler and threats against the Hague-based tribunal.

ICC pre-trial judges issued arrest warrants connected Thursday for Netanyahu and his erstwhile Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for charges of utilizing starvation arsenic a method of warfare arsenic good arsenic the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and different inhumane acts.

The tribunal recovered that determination were tenable grounds that the Israeli siege of Gaza “created conditions of beingness calculated to bring astir the demolition of portion of the civilian population”.

With a fewer exceptions, US politicians from some large parties expressed outrage astatine the court’s decision, with galore questioning the court’s legitimacy.

White House ‘rejects’ warrants

The medication of President Joe Biden was speedy to dependable absorption to the ruling.

“We fundamentally cull the court’s determination to contented apprehension warrants for elder Israeli officials,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“We stay profoundly acrophobic by the prosecutor’s unreserved to question apprehension warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision.”

She did not place the alleged errors.

The Biden medication raised eyebrows earlier this period erstwhile it said that Israel had not violated a deadline to let humanitarian assistance to Gaza, contradicting the findings of apical assistance organisations.

Jean-Pierre besides reiterated the US statement that the ICC has nary jurisdiction implicit Israeli officials due to the fact that Israel is not a enactment to the court.

But the tribunal has rejected that rationale, asserting that it has jurisdiction connected the substance due to the fact that Palestine – wherever the suspected crimes occurred – accepts the court’s authority.

US officials person antecedently argued that Palestinians bash not person a state, and truthful cannot participate the Rome Statute, the pact that established the court. But Palestine, which joined the ICC successful 2015, is simply a non-member perceiver authorities of the United Nations.

Asked astir calls for sanctioning tribunal officials, Jean-Pierre told reporters: “We are successful consultation with our partners, which see Israel, astir our adjacent steps.”

A caller Brown University study recovered that the Biden medication spent $17.9bn connected information assistance to Israel implicit the past twelvemonth – funds that were captious to the US ally’s devastating warfare connected Gaza.

Call for sanctions

While the outgoing Democratic medication rebuked the ICC, Republicans were adjacent much forceful successful condemning the ICC and demanding penalties against its officials.

Senator Lindsey Graham, an state of President-elect Donald Trump, said it is clip for the US authorities to authorisation the ICC for its warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

The US House of Representatives passed a bill successful June to enforce sanctions connected tribunal officials, but the measurement has not been considered by the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “needs to walk the bipartisan authorities that came from the House sanctioning the Court for specified an outrage and President Biden needs to motion it”, Graham wrote successful a societal media post.

In 2021, the Biden medication removed sanctions connected ICC officials that had been imposed by Trump, who volition beryllium sworn successful for a 2nd word connected January 20.

Stand with Israel. Sanction the ICC.

— Rep. Richard Hudson (@RepRichHudson) November 21, 2024

Incoming Trump adjutant warns of ‘strong response’

Congressman Mike Waltz, who is acceptable to service arsenic Trump’s nationalist information adviser, slammed the tribunal implicit apprehension warrants.

“The ICC has nary credibility and these allegations person been refuted by the US government,” Waltz wrote successful a societal media post.

“Israel has lawfully defended its radical [and] borders from genocidal terrorists. You tin expect a beardown effect to the antisemitic bias of the ICC [and] UN travel January.”

Senator threatens ICC with ‘Hague Invasion Act’

Sanctions are not capable for Tom Cotton, a Republican legislator known for calling for the usage of subject force, adjacent against domestic protesters.

Rebuking the ICC, Cotton invoked a US instrumentality that authorises the US president to usage “all means indispensable and appropriate” to escaped Americans oregon allied individuals detained astatine the petition of the court.

Congress successful 2002 passed the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, which is informally known arsenic “The Hague Invasion Act” due to the fact that it greenlights subject unit against the ICC.

“The ICC is simply a kangaroo tribunal and Karim Khan is simply a deranged fanatic,” Cotton wrote successful a societal media post.

“Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants.”

Democrats condemn court

As it often does, enactment for Israel – adjacent against allegations of horrific warfare crimes – brought cardinal figures from some large parties together.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman utilized profanity and an Israeli emblem emoji to marque his views known. “No standing, relevance, oregon path. F*** that,” helium wrote successful a societal media post.

Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz accused the ICC of “antisemitic treble standard”, and Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen urged Biden to “use his authorization to swiftly respond to this overreach”.

For his part, New York Congressman Ritchie Torres accused the ICC of criminalising self-defence.

Numerous rights groups person concluded that Israeli atrocities successful Gaza, which UN experts person described arsenic a genocide, are warfare crimes that bash not autumn nether the close of self-defence.

“The ICC should beryllium sanctioned not for enforcing the instrumentality but for distorting it beyond recognition,” Torres wrote successful a societal media post.

Tlaib hails ‘historic’ apprehension warrants

The Palestinian American congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, was a uncommon dependable of dissent successful welcoming the ICC’s decision.

Tlaib called connected the Biden medication to extremity “complicity” successful Israeli abuses.

“The International Criminal Court’s agelong overdue determination to contented apprehension warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for warfare crimes and crimes against humanity signals that the days of the Israeli apartheid authorities operating with impunity are ending,” Tlaib said successful a statement.

“Since this genocide began, the United States has provided much than $18bn successful weapons to the Israeli government. The Biden Administration tin nary longer contradict that those aforesaid US weapons person been utilized successful countless warfare crimes.”

She added that Washington indispensable instantly halt each arms transfers to the “Israeli apartheid regime”.

“Today’s historical apprehension warrants cannot bring backmost the dormant and displaced, but they are a large measurement towards holding warfare criminals accountable,” the congresswoman added.

My connection connected the @IntlCrimCourt issuing apprehension warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for warfare crimes and crimes against humanity: pic.twitter.com/C10EN1yy0q

— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) November 21, 2024

Mayor says his metropolis would apprehension Netanyahu

Abdullah Hammoud, the politician of the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, which has a ample Arab American population, said the metropolis would enforce the ICC warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu.

“Dearborn volition apprehension Netanyahu [and] Gallant if they measurement wrong Dearborn metropolis limits,” Hammoud wrote successful a societal media post.

“Other cities should state the same. Our president whitethorn not instrumentality action, but metropolis leaders tin guarantee Netanyahu [and] different warfare criminals are not invited to question freely crossed these United States.”

The US does not recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction connected its soil, truthful it is not wide whether its municipalities person the authorization to apprehension Netanyahu.

Still, Hammoud’s menace highlights the ineligible perils Netanyahu and Gallant volition look crossed the satellite arsenic formally accused warfare criminals.