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WASHINGTON — The House is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials as a House Republican response to the news that the court is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Court prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview last month that the court is seeking arrest warrants for the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The court's targeting of Netanyahu has sparked widespread backlash from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. President Joe Biden has also forcefully denounced the court's move, saying "there is no equivalence" between Israel and Hamas, but the administration has said it does not support the GOP-led effort to sanction the court. As a result, the vote is likely to divide Democrats.
It appears unlikely that the Senate will take up the bill if it passes the House given the White House's opposition.
According to the legislative text, the bill would impose sanctions on individuals "engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies." The sanctions include prohibiting U.S. property transactions and blocking and revoking visas.
Headquartered at The Hague in the Netherlands, the International Criminal Court was established in 2002 and is tasked with prosecuting individuals for crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The court does not have its own enforcement mechanism and has relied on countries' support for arrests. A decision to seek arrest warrants doesn't immediately mean an individual is guilty, but it is the first stage in a process that could lead to a lengthy trial.
Both Hamas and Israeli politicians denounced the court's move.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has condemned the International Criminal Court over its move to seek warrants for top Israeli officials, saying at the end of last month that Congress would take action "to punish the (International Criminal Court) and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed."
The move against the Israeli politicians marks the first time the court has targeted the top leader of a close ally of the United States. A panel of International Criminal Court judges will consider Khan's application for the arrest warrants.
A Biden administration statement of policy on the bill states that the administration "strongly opposes" the legislation.
"The administration is deeply concerned about the (International Criminal Court) prosecutor's heedless rush to apply for arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials. At the same time, the administration opposes the imposition of sanctions against the (International Criminal Court), its personnel, its judges, or those who assist its work. There are more effective ways to defend Israel, preserve U.S. positions on the (International Criminal Court), and promote international justice and accountability, and the administration stands ready to work with the Congress on those options," the statement reads.
