Congress to vote on bill sanctioning ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant

After Republicans take control of the Senate, Congress set to again take up legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court and its chief prosecutor over arrest warrants issued for Israeli prime minister, ex-defense chief.

By World Israel News Staff

Congressional Republicans signaled that they will renew their efforts to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its chief prosecutor, Karim Kahn, after the previous attempt to do so was stymied by the Senate’s Democratic leadership last year.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (LA-R) announced on Tuesday that the lower chamber of Congress would vote on a sanctions bill later this week.

“This week, the House will vote to impose sanctions on ICC officials and put the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, back in his place,” Johnson said.

The House Speaker castigated the ICC for its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last year regarding their involvement in the war against the Hamas terror organization in Gaza.

Khan “does not have jurisdiction over Israel or the United States, and it is outrageous that they’re issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant,” Johnson continued.

“The ICC is actually equating Israel and Hamas, even as Hamas still holds Israelis and American hostages. It is just absurd. The House will not tolerate rogue actors who circumvent international law to attack Israel and threaten America. We won’t do it.”

In June, the House voted in favor of a bill imposing sanctions on the ICC, with the backing of dozens of Democratic lawmakers. The measure was shelved in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Now, with the Republicans controlling 52 seats in the Senate – rising to 53 once Senator-elect Jim Justice completes his term as West Virginia Governor – Majority Leader John Thune (SD-R) has vowed to advance the sanctions bill.

“If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis,” Thune tweeted on November 17, after Republicans secured a majority in the Senate and days after he won a leadership vote in GOP’s Senate caucus, putting him on course to become the majority leader.

The Washington Free Beacon has reported that the House will vote on the legislation this Thursday.

In parallel to the efforts in Congress, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to target the ICC with executive orders sanctioning the court’s top officials.

While the Biden administration rejected the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, it fell short of taking punitive steps against the court.