The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would impose sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials involved in seeking arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and co-sponsored by over 60 Republicans, was passed with a vote of 247-155, with two Republicans voting “present.”
The proposed sanctions aim to target individuals engaged in ICC investigations or prosecutions of Americans or citizens of U.S. allies that are not members of the ICC, such as Israel. This move comes in response to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s announcement of plans to seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
While the White House has expressed opposition to sanctions, 42 pro-Israel House Democrats voted in favor of the bill, breaking with their party. However, it is anticipated that the bill may face challenges in the Senate.
Prior to the House vote, there were efforts to craft bipartisan legislation, but discussions between House Republicans and Democrats stalled following the White House’s opposition to sanctions. President Biden and senators have reportedly explored alternative approaches to address the ICC issue.
While some Democrats have criticized the bill as overly broad, others have expressed a willingness to collaborate with Republicans on a more targeted approach to sanctions. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) suggested that specific sanctions against the ICC prosecutor involved in the case could be a more reasonable approach. Similarly, Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) emphasized the importance of bipartisan cooperation in crafting legislation with better language.
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