Congress Members Warn Of US Retaliation Against ICC If Arrest Warrants Issued Against Israeli Leaders

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The Hague International Criminal Court has been warned by members of Congress in both parties that arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials will be met with U.S. retaliation — and legislation to that effect is already in the works, according to a report by Axios

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently urged President Biden to intervene to help prevent the warrants, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported.

Netanyahu lashed out at the possibility of arrest warrants being issued against himself, Defense Minister Gallant and Chief of Staff Halevi, calling them “a scandal on a historical scale, an indelible stain on all of humanity” and “an unprecedented antisemitic hate crime.”

The prime minister added that “Eighty years after the Holocaust, the international bodies that were established to prevent another Holocaust are considering denying the Jewish state the right to defend itself against those who came to commit genocide against us, and are still actively working to do so. What an absurdity, what a distortion of justice and history.”

Netanyahu also vowed that no intervention of the ICC would prevent Israel from realizing the goals of its war- the return of hostages and the crippling of Hamas.

The White House declined to comment on Netanyahu’s call with Biden but said “the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) issued a statement on Monday calling the reported warrants “disgraceful” and “lawless.”

“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 said.
Johnson called for the Biden administration to “immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down” and “use every available tool to prevent such an abomination.”

The speaker joins several Republican lawmakers who have harshly criticized the ICC in recent days. One Republican House member told Axios there is already legislation being drafted to respond to any warrants.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told Axios he expects a House version of Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) bill to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating the U.S. and its allies, but added: “We hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) said the U.S. should “think of whether we stay a signatory” to the Rome Statute — the treaty that established the ICC.

“We have to think about talking to some of the countries that have ratified [the treaty] as to whether they want to support the organization,” he added.

Some Democrats have also expressed their opposition to the ICC’s moves. Staunchly pro-Israel Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) have both criticized the reported warrants, with Torres calling for “strong consequences from both Congress and the President.”

“I know Congress will ensure consequences for such an absurd decision,” Sherman said in a post on X.

An ICC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but some progressive representatives have expressed support for its investigation.

“The ICC is an independent body, and it needs to proceed with what they need to do,” said Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a vocal critic of Israel.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), another progressive Israel critic, said “it’s not a matter for Congress to be telling them what to be doing.”