WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on legislation that would sanction the International Criminal Court for seeking arrest warrants against Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The vote amounts to Congress’s first legislative rebuke of the war crimes court since the vote stunning decision last month to seek arrest warrants against the leaders of Israel and Hamas. The move was widely denounced in Washington, creating a rare moment of unity for Israel even as divisions between the parties over the war with Hamas increased.
Although the House bill was expected to pass on Tuesday, it was unlikely to receive significant Democratic support, which could weaken its chances in the Senate. The White House opposes the legislation, calling it excessive.
Both Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee acknowledged that the bill is unlikely to become law and left the door open for further negotiations with the White House. They said it would be better for Congress to unite against the Hague-based court.
“We are always strongest, especially in this committee, when we speak as one nation with one voice, in this case against the ICC and against the judges,” said Republican Representative Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during the Second Room. debate. “A partisan messaging bill was not my intention here, but that is where we are now.”
State Department spokesman Matt Miller reiterated the administration’s opposition to the sanctions law.
“We have made it clear that while we oppose the ICC Prosecutor’s decision, we do not believe it is appropriate, especially as there are ongoing investigations within Israel looking at exactly the same questions from someone, and we were prepared to work with them to work together.” Congress on what a response might look like, but we do not support sanctions,” Miller said.
The House of Representatives bill would impose sweeping economic sanctions and visa restrictions on individuals and judges affiliated with the ICC, including their family members. Democrats labeled the approach “too broad” and warned it could ensnare Americans and U.S. companies that do important work in the court.
“This bill would have a chilling effect on the ICC as an institution, potentially hampering the Court’s efforts to prosecute dubious atrocities committed in many places around the world, from Ukraine to Uganda,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, chairman of the ICC. Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The legislation censuring the ICC was just the latest show of House Republican support for Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that ignited the war. Republicans have held several votes on Israel in recent months, highlighting divisions among Democrats over support for the U.S. ally.
Congressional leaders have invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress this summer, likely to further heighten tensions over Israel’s handling of the war. Many Democrats are expected to boycott the speech.
Both the ICC and the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, have begun investigating allegations that both Israel and Hamas committed genocide during the seven-month war.
Last month, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan accused Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the ICC’s action as shameful and anti-Semitic. President Joe Biden and members of Congress also denounced the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Failure to act here in Congress would make us complicit in the ICC’s unlawful actions and we cannot remain silent,” McCaul said. “We must stand behind our allies.”
