Netanyahu urges blocking of ICC action; US officials quick to oblige

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
30 Apr 2024 05:11
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According to Axios, US lawmakers from both parties are threatening the ICC with retaliatory action if it carries out its duties against Israeli officials.

Then United States Vice President Joe Biden hands over a pen to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their meeting in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on March 9, 2010. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked United States President Joe Biden to prevent the International Criminal Court (ICC) from issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials responsible for war crimes in the Gaza Strip, Axios said citing two Israeli officials.

Reportedly, the names of Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and Israeli occupation forces (IOF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi have been circled as suspects of war crimes that the ICC will look to prosecute.

According to Axios, Netanyahu expressed his concern regarding increasing reports on the possibility of the issuance of the arrest warrants, during a phone call with Biden regarding regional developments and the prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance.

The ICC has been looking into war crimes committed back in 2014 in the Gaza Strip, however, it has produced no punitive decisions against individuals.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council declined to comment on the contents of Netanyahu's call with Biden, but told Axios, "As we have publicly said many times, the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation."

Nonetheless, the ICC's issued arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the conflict in Ukraine garnered the support of the US and other Western nations.

US State Department mired in double-standards

Earlier, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters the Israeli military actions in Gaza are not comparable to Russian operations in Ukraine. As Patel was questioned over the reason the US was against potential ICC legal action against Israeli officials, but supported ICC action against Russia, he said, "There is no moral equivalency between the kinds of things that we see [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and the Kremlin undertake in comparison to the Israeli government."

He added that the US believes that the ICC does not have any jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation. Patel pointed out that the United States is not a party to the treaty that established the ICC.

US Congress rushes to support "Israel"

Members of Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties are warning the ICC against issuing warrants for senior Israeli officials, Axios reported at a later time.

As the situation continues to unravel, it is believed that US lawmakers have threatened the ICC with retaliation if it proceeds with legal action against Israeli officials.

The Israeli position on the matter has been adopted by multiple lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson who called the reported warrants "disgraceful" and "lawless".

Johnson called for the Biden administration to "immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down" and "use every available tool to prevent such an abomination."

Moreover, an unnamed Republican House member said that legislation is already being drafted to respond to any possible warrants. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul told Axios he expects a House version of Senator Tom Cotton's bill to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating the US and its allies.

The US is yet again quick to mobilize to defend the Israeli regime and its criminal members while maintaining a supposed moral high ground in its foreign relations practices and public statements.