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The House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill on Thursday that would sanction the International Criminal Court over an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This would be one of the first acts of the new Congress.
The bill will then go to the Senate, where Republican Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., has promised a quick vote to get it on President-elect Donald Trump’s desk before he takes office. .
The last time the House voted on the bill in June, 42 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for it despite President Joe Biden’s opposition.
Libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) isn’t afraid to break with his colleagues on Israel-related legislation, but he questions why this bill is a priority in the first week of a new Congressional term. did.
On May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Dimitar Dirkov/AFP via Getty Images)
“I do not give any credence to the International Criminal Court’s decision because the United States is a sovereign nation. However, I do not understand how the bill protecting Prime Minister Netanyahu was included in the House rules package and subject to the Speaker’s vote. Now that it’s up for a vote right away? Where are our priorities?!” he wrote to X last week.
The bill was reintroduced by Texas Representative Chip Roy and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, both Republicans.
On May 20, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yov Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohamed Deif. All three Hamas leaders have been killed in the past year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant immediately after the US presidential election.
President Trump says ‘hell will break out’ if hostages are not returned by Inauguration Day
Khan’s application was unprecedented, marking the first time a criminal court had sought the arrest of a Western alliance official.
An ICC commission judge issued a warrant in November, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of “war crimes of using starvation as a means of war, and of murder, persecution, and other acts of inhumanity as direct perpetrators.” He committed a crime against humanity.” The Chamber also found reasonable grounds to believe that acting in concert with other countries, they were responsible for war crimes in which they acted as superiors and intentionally attacked civilians. ”
Prime Minister Netanyahu (left) fired Defense Minister Gallant (right) on November 6th. (Reuters/Pool)
Israeli Defense Force soldiers fight in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“The ICC is an illegitimate entity and there is no need to interfere with our sovereignty or the sovereignty of our allies,” Roy said.
Lindsey Graham demands ICC to reveal details of investigation into Khan’s alleged misconduct
“The ICC’s attempts to thwart Israel’s right to self-defense have only prolonged the war, boosted Hamas’s morale and prevented the release of American hostages,” Mast said in a statement.
Since Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a vicious campaign to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip. President Trump has warned both sides to end the conflict, and Hamas has warned to return the hostages by his inauguration on October 7, 2023. January 20th.
The Anti-Illegal Courts Act would sanction foreign nationals who engage in investigations, arrests, detentions, or prosecutions of U.S. citizens or nationals of allied countries.
The agreement covers the 32-member NATO security alliance and 19 major non-NATO countries, including Israel.
It would also remove all funds earmarked by the United States to the ICC and prohibit future funds from going to the court.
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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has introduced a companion bill in the Senate. When the bill passed the House of Representatives at the end of Congress, then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not vote on it in the Senate. With Republicans in control, Thune hopes to have the bill passed and on the president’s desk before he takes office.
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