Thune threatens International Criminal Court with sanctions if it doesn’t drop Netanyahu warrant for arrest

South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune connected Sunday threatened to slap the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it did not driblet its exertion for an apprehension warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Thune – who was selected Wednesday to beryllium the adjacent Senate Majority Leader erstwhile the GOP takes the precocious enclosure travel January 2025 – warned that if the existent Democratic person does not instrumentality connected the planetary court, helium will.

"If the ICC and its authoritative bash not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to prosecute apprehension warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should instantly walk sanctions legislation, arsenic the House has already done connected a bipartisan basis," Thune wrote connected X. "If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican bulk volition basal with our cardinal state Israel and marque this – and different supportive authorities – a apical precedence successful the adjacent Congress."

Senator John Thune, R-S.D., center, recently elected Senate bulk person for the upcoming 119th Congress, speaks to reporters astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Nov. 13, 2024 successful Washington, D.C. (TING SHEN/AFP via Getty Images)

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In May, the ICC issued applications for apprehension warrants against Netanyahu, arsenic good arsenic then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and 3 Hamas terrorists for alleged warfare crimes and crimes against humanity pursuing the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. All 3 Hamas leaders are believed to since person been killed.

Thune’s threats were made successful coordination with a measure introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., successful June – which intimately aligned with a measure that passed successful the House with bipartisan enactment conscionable days anterior – that called for sanctions against prosecutors who person gone aft "U.S., Israeli, oregon immoderate different allied national wrongfully targeted by the ICC."

The U.S. does not officially admit the ICC’s authority, but it is not the archetypal clip Washington has looked to halt the court’s actions.

In 2020, the Trump medication opposed attempts by the ICC to analyse U.S. soldiers and the CIA progressive successful alleged warfare crimes betwixt 2003-2004 "in concealed detention facilities successful Afghanistan," and issued sanctions against ICC prosecutors. 

However, the sanctions did much than people individuals done plus freezing and planetary question bans and were deemed, astatine the time, to person the imaginable for "wide-reaching consequences."

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th league of the United Nations General Assembly connected Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

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"Service providers to the ICC – from banks to vending instrumentality companies – whitethorn reassess whether continuing to enactment with the instauration is prudent fixed the risk of inadvertently violating U.S. sanctions," Human Rights Watch explained. 

"[It] created apprehension and uncertainty for nongovernmental organizations, consultants, and lawyers who enactment with the ICC successful investigative and adjudicative capacities," the enactment added. 

Richard Goldberg, who served connected the White House National Security Council during the Trump administration and who is present a elder advisor to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital the 2020 sanctions were besides "effective successful shaking up the enactment since it was coming up connected an predetermination for a caller main prosecutor."

"Many believed that the beingness of U.S. sanctions led Karim Khan to enactment investigations of Israel and the U.S. successful a drawer erstwhile helium was elected," Goldberg explained successful notation to the ICC’s main authoritative who filed the applications for warrants of apprehension against Netanyahu and Gallant.

Goldberg argued that sanctions against prosecutors whitethorn not beryllium capable to dissuade Khan from pursuing the lawsuit against Netanyahu and warned the ICC main mightiness presumption them arsenic "a badge of honor."

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan poses during an interrogation with AFP astatine the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal successful Paris connected Feb. 7, 2024. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

Goldberg said helium thinks lawmakers should see going aft the ICC arsenic a full alternatively than idiosyncratic prosecutors this clip around. 

"It's 1 happening to endanger sanctions against individuals progressive successful illegitimate schemes to indict American oregon Israeli soldiers, it's different happening to usage sanctions arsenic a instrumentality to chopped disconnected the ICC's entree to funds," helium told Fox News Digital.

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"I deliberation countries similar Japan and Germany volition enactment tremendous pressure connected the ICC to backmost down if they deliberation their ain banks whitethorn beryllium taxable to sanctions for wiring wealth to the ICC," helium added. 

Decisions by the tribunal connected apprehension warrants are mostly made wrong 3 months, according to Reuters, though it remains unclear erstwhile the sheet volition scope a decision.

The past clip the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC was asked to marque a determination implicit issuing a warrant for the apprehension of a authorities person was erstwhile an exertion was filed against Russian President Vladimir Putin successful February 2023. The sheet reached a determination within 1 month of the exertion having been filed.