Legislation to impose penalties on the International Criminal Court over its prosecutor’s decision to pursue arrest warrants for Israeli officials connected to the Gaza War was enacted by the Republican-led US House of Representatives.
The bill was supported by 42 Democrats in addition to Republicans, and the vote was 247 to 155. Two Republicans voted “present,” but there were no “nay” votes from Republicans.
Although it is unlikely to become law, the proposal shows Congress’s continued support for Israel in the face of criticism from around the world regarding the Middle Eastern nation’s campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the ICC’s decision to request the warrants was condemned by the White House.
It is unlikely that the bill will be put to a vote in the Senate, which is barely held by Democrats like Biden.
The bill would punish those who prosecute Americans or citizens of US allies who are not ICC members, such as Israel, in the ICC.
Additionally, it would cancel their US visas, prevent these ICC officials from entering the country, and prohibit them from transacting real estate in the US.
Following more than seven months of fighting in Gaza, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan declared last month that he had good reason to think that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s defense minister, and three Hamas leaders “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Netanyahu claimed that the action was intended to attack Israel as a whole and that the ICC prosecutor’s decision was ludicrous.
After militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing almost 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, according to Israeli counts, Israel launched an air and ground war in Gaza last October, pledging to destroy Hamas. There are still about 120 hostages in Gaza.
In densely packed Gaza, the Israeli military operation has claimed the lives of over 36,000 people, with thousands more dead buried under debris, according to the country’s health authorities.
