Incoming Senate Leader Backs Sanctioning ICC Over Israel Arrest Warrants
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is slated to become Senate majority leader when Republicans take control of the chamber in January, said Nov. 17 that the Senate should pass legislation to sanction International Criminal Court officials if the ICC doesn't stop pursuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza.
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If outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., doesn't hold a vote on the legislation by year’s end, “the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this -- and other supportive legislation -- a top priority in the next Congress,” Thune tweeted. He called the potential arrest warrants "outrageous and unlawful."
The House passed an ICC sanctions bill in June, but similar legislation has stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate and faces opposition from the Biden administration (see 2406050037 and 2406130071). Critics of the House bill say it could result in sanctions being imposed on U.S. allies that support the ICC with funding and staff.
The court’s prosecutor announced in May that he would seek arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders (see 2405220070). Netanyahu earlier this month fired Gallant.