By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Home of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the Worldwide Felony Courtroom in protest at its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former protection minister over Israel’s marketing campaign in Gaza.
The vote was 243 to 140 in favor of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” which might sanction any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes U.S. residents or these of an allied nation, together with Israel, who should not members of the courtroom.
Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the invoice. No Republican voted in opposition to it.
“America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” Consultant Brian Mast, Republican chairman of the Home Overseas Affairs Committee, mentioned in a Home speech earlier than the vote.
The Home vote, one of many first because the new Congress was seated final week, underscored sturdy assist amongst President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans for Israel’s authorities, now that they management each chambers in Congress.
The ICC didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Trump’s first administration imposed sanctions on the ICC in 2020 in response to investigations into battle crimes in Afghanistan, together with allegations of torture by U.S. residents.
These sanctions had been lifted by President Joe Biden’s administration, although Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in Could final yr that it was keen to work with Congress to probably impose new sanctions on the ICC over the prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
5 years in the past, then-ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and different workers had bank cards and financial institution accounts frozen and U.S. journey impeded.
The brand new sanctions handed by the U.S. Home additionally made it potential to focus on people aiding the work of the courtroom.
SANCTIONS COULD ‘JEOPARDIZE’ ICC, ITS PRESIDENT SAYS
In December, courtroom President Choose Tomoko Akane informed the ICC’s 125 member nations that “these measures would rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all situations and cases and jeopardize its very existence”.
Trump will probably be sworn in on Jan. 20 for a second time period as president.
The Senate’s newly appointed Republican majority chief, John Thune, has promised swift consideration of the sanctions act in his chamber in order that Trump can signal it into legislation shortly after taking workplace.
The ICC is a everlasting courtroom that may prosecute people for battle crimes, crimes in opposition to humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression in member states or by their nationals.
The courtroom has mentioned its choice to pursue warrants in opposition to the Israeli officers was consistent with its strategy in all instances, based mostly on an evaluation by the prosecutor that there was sufficient proof to proceed, and the view that looking for arrest warrants instantly might forestall ongoing crimes.
Congressional Republicans have been denouncing the ICC because it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his ex-defense chief Yoav Gallant, accusing them of battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity within the 15-month-old Gaza battle. Israel denies the allegations.
The Republican-led Home handed the act looking for to sanction the ICC in June, however the measure was by no means taken up within the Senate, which on the time was managed by a Democratic majority.
