US House Votes to Sanction ICC Officials: What It Means for International Justice
US House Votes to Sanction ICC Officials Amid Controversy Over Israeli Arrest Warrants
Article:
In a significant move, the US House of Representatives has voted to sanction officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The bill passed with a vote of 247 to 155, with nearly all Republican members voting in favor, alongside a few Democrats.
If this bill is approved by the full US Congress, it would mandate the president to impose sanctions on ICC officials involved in any efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.
This measure follows the recent request by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The request has sparked significant outrage among Israel's allies in Washington, DC.
Despite earlier calling the arrest warrant requests “outrageous,” the Biden administration has expressed opposition to the legislation.