US House of Representatives Votes to Sanction ICC Over Netanyahu Warrants

On Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed a significant bill, the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act," which aims to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to its decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The sanctions are meant to protest the ICC's actions related to the ongoing Gaza conflict, where both Israeli leaders face allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The legislation, which passed with a 243-140 vote, calls for sanctions against ICC officials or entities that advance efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any US or allied citizens. The sanctions would include measures such as visa revocation and restrictions on property transactions. The bill emphasizes that both the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, and therefore the court has no jurisdiction over their actions.

The House vote is a strong display of support for Israel, especially among Republicans, with 45 Democrats joining 198 Republicans in backing the bill. However, the legislation still faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where it will require bipartisan support to pass. The Senate will need to recruit at least seven Democrats to secure approval, which may be challenging given the Biden administration’s reluctance to take a firm stance against the ICC, particularly in light of its involvement in sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant stems from accusations related to the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, where more than 46,000 Palestinians have been reported killed since the conflict began in October 2023. The ICC charges allege that the Israeli leaders directed attacks against Gaza’s civilian population and used starvation as a method of warfare by hindering humanitarian aid.

Israel strongly rejects these accusations, asserting that it has made significant efforts to provide humanitarian aid and that any civilian casualties have been the result of Hamas’s tactics of embedding fighters within civilian infrastructure.