Next Senate majority leader warns ICC over 'Israel' arrest warrants
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Republicans have expressed concern that the ICC might expedite its actions on Israeli arrest warrants before President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House.
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Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., meets with reporters after he was elected to succeed longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 (AP)
The United States must enact legislation imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it proceeds with issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other Israeli officials, stressed Senator John Thune on Sunday.
“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,” he posted on X.
Thune, who is set to become Senate Majority Leader in January when Republicans assume control of Congress, was referencing a bill passed by the House earlier this year, which proposed sanctions on ICC officials.
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. If Majority Leader Schumer does…
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 17, 2024
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has requested a pre-trial panel in The Hague to approve arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Security Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas officials over alleged war crimes during the ongoing Gaza war.
Thune expressed his willingness for current Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to advance such sanctions legislation. However, he warned that if Schumer does not act, “the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress.”
In June, the House passed a bill that would, if enacted, revoke US visas for ICC officials, restrict their entry into the United States, and impose financial penalties on any ICC personnel involved in efforts to prosecute or detain US allies.
At the time, US President Joe Biden voiced strong opposition to the legislation, which passed with a 247-155 majority, including the support of 42 Democrats.
The legislation automatically advanced to the Senate, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has yet to bring it to a vote. Republicans have intensified their calls for Schumer to act, expressing concern that the ICC might expedite its actions on Israeli arrest warrants before President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House.
In May, while filing the request for arrest warrants, ICC Prosecutor Khan asserted that there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif were responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A report published by the Israeli Walla! news website in September mentioned that "Israel" requested 25 countries to provide an opinion against the ICC prosecutor's request to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The site explained that Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sent letters to 25 foreign ministers around the world, asking them to "join Britain in submitting a legal opinion to the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the Prosecutor General's request to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant."
Walla! also quoted senior officials in the Israeli occupation's ministry as saying that "if these countries, or even some of them, send such a legal opinion to the court in The Hague, the judges may be convinced that there is no chance of responding to the Prosecutor General's request."
Fouad Baker, a member of the ICC Bar Association, previously revealed to Al Mayadeen that most of the lawyers and judges involved in the case against "Israel" have been subjected to threats and intimidation, with their phones being hacked.
He recalled that the Israeli occupation had threatened to target the children of the ICC's Prosecutor Karim Khan and similarly threatened the former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda when she hinted at opening an investigation, even imposing sanctions on her and threatening her husband.
Several Republican senators quickly echoed Senator Thune’s stance.
Senator Susan Collins posted on X, "The ICC must abandon its unlawful pursuit of arrest warrants against Israeli officials. If it fails to do so, the Senate should immediately consider the bipartisan legislation passed by the House to sanction the ICC."
"The U.S. stands with Israel," she emphasized.
I agree with @SenJohnThune.
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) November 17, 2024
The ICC must abandon its unlawful pursuit of arrest warrants against Israeli officials. If it fails to do so, the Senate should immediately consider the bipartisan legislation passed by the House to sanction the ICC.
The U.S. stands with Israel. https://t.co/uQFZec2q5x
House Speaker Mike Johnson recalled that in June, the House of Representatives had already approved legislation to sanction the ICC, criticizing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for not bringing the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
For legislation to become law, it must be approved by both chambers of Congress.
The House voted in JUNE to sanction the ICC if they proceed with their illegitimate plot, but Chuck Schumer has refused to bring the bill up in the Senate.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 18, 2024
Grateful to see the resolve of @SenJohnThune for BOTH of our chambers to stand TOGETHER with Israel in the new Congress. https://t.co/d4zu96886f
Republican Senator Tim Scott also urged immediate action, writing, “The Senate must pass or bill to protect Americans and our allies from wrongful targeting by the ICC. Standing up for our great ally Israel shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
The Senate must pass our bill to protect Americans and our allies from wrongful targeting by the ICC. Standing up for our great ally Israel shouldn't be a partisan issue. https://t.co/GB6A9RpLSP
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) November 17, 2024
During his first term, President-elect Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC officials in June 2020 in response to the court’s actions regarding "Israel" and potential war crimes investigations. Those sanctions were lifted by President Joe Biden in April 2021.
Read more: US and Mossad interference delays Netanyahu's ICC arrest warrant
