Russia hints 'Israel' US 'satellite' over Washington disregard of ICC
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Russia's Maria Zakharova says that the US political system does not recognize the legitimacy of the ICC "in relation to itself and its satellites."
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US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine on October 18, 2024. (US Handout)
Russia criticized the United States on Tuesday for practicing hypocrisy, highlighting the contradiction in opposing the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation of Israeli officials on war crimes in Gaza while endorsing the court's warrant for the arrest of President Vladimir Putin.
Axios reported earlier this week that the names of Prime Minister Benjamin 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 court will look to prosecute.
According to the news site, Netanyahu asked US President Joe Biden to prevent the ICC from issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials responsible for the Gaza war crimes.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Washington did not support the ICC's investigation of the occupation entity, adding that the court has no jurisdiction in this situation.
Meanwhile, the US shared information with the ICC last year to back alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Biden has also personally described the court's arrest warrant issuance against Putin as justified.
"Washington fully supported, if not stimulated, the issuance of ICC warrants against the Russian leadership," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a post on Telegram.
"[But] the American political system does not recognize the legitimacy of this structure in relation to itself and its satellites," Zakharova said, adding that such a position was intellectually "absurd".
ICC in US' crosshairs
Members of Congress have warned the International Criminal Court that arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials will result in US retaliation and legislation for it is already in the making, Axios said in a separate report.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the reported warrants "disgraceful" and "lawless". He urged the Biden administration to "immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down" and "use every available tool to prevent such an abomination."
"If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel," Johnson noted.
Moreover, an unnamed Republican House member said the 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 entity and its criminal officials while maintaining a supposed moral high ground in its foreign relations practices and public statements.
