US senator threatens sanctions on allies over arrest warrants for Israeli leaders

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham puts Canada, Britain, and other US allies on notice that cooperation with ICC in efforts to arrest Israeli leaders will lead to harsh American sanctions.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News Staff

A senior United States senator warned American allies not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court at The Hague in its effort to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud), threatening to impose sanctions on states which honor the arrest warrants.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of two Republicans representing South Carolina, castigated the International Criminal Court Saturday over its decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over their handling of the war against the Hamas terror organization, claiming there was sufficient evidence of violations of international law to justify their arrests.

“Israel is in a fight for its very life,” Graham told Fox News.

“The Jewish state is under siege from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran has directly attacked Israel. And we live in an upside-down world where the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister of Israel are being prosecuted by a court in Belgium.”

Graham also ripped the court on technical grounds, both for granting state standing to the Gaza Strip and for taking action against a state, Israel, which is not a party to the Rome Statue of the ICC.

“The court ruled that Gaza is a state – no, there is no Palestinian state under international law. And Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court, and neither are we.”

“This is an antisemitic body and this court is to literally put in jail the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister for [Israel] defending itself from multiple terrorist organizations.”

The senator warned American allies, including Canada and Britain, that any attempt to enforce the ICC arrest warrants would prompt the U.S. to impose sanctions which would “crush” their economies.

“If you are going to help the ICC, as a nation, enforce their arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant…I will put sanctions on you as a nation. You are going to have to pick either the rogue ICC versus America.”

“I’m working with Tom Cotton to have legislation passed as soon as we can to sanction any country that aides and abets the arrest of any politician in Israel.”

“To any ally: Canada, Britain, Germany, France – if you try to help the ICC, we’re gonna sanction you.”

“We should crush your economy because we’re next. Why can’t they go after Trump or any other American president under this theory?”

On Thursday, Graham took to X to respond to the ICC ruling, calling the decision to issue the arrest warrants “rogue and politically motivated.”

“I cannot emphasize enough my strong objection to what the ICC has done to the State of Israel.”

“The ICC is a rogue and politically motivated organization that is trampling on the very concept of the rule of law. I made it abundantly clear that I believe this entire process is an abuse of the Rome Statute.”

“I am confident that President Trump understands that the Court’s actions against Israel sets the foundation for the ICC to come after the United States one day. We must respond forcefully to the Court for our own good.”

“Any nation or organization that aids or abets this outrage should expect to meet firm resistance from the United States, and I look forward to working with President Trump, his team, and my colleagues in Congress to come up with a powerful response.”

Benjamin NetanyahuICCInternational Criminal CourtLindsey Graham