A bipartisan bloc in the House of Representatives spurned President Joe Biden Tuesday to sanction officials with the International Criminal Court after the body’s chief prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.
The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act passed 247 to 155. All 205 Republicans voting supported the bill, while only 42 Democrats voted yea.
The bill was led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and introduced with Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), and others.
Roy said the bill’s passage “sends a strong message to the ICC that we will not tolerate their outrageous attacks on Israel.” Its passage came after weeks of negotiations that saw some Democrats walk away after pressure from the Biden administration over the inclusion of sweeping sanctions.
(1/5) "I am pleased that today the House passed H.R. 8282 — a bill I introduced with @RepBrianMast, @RepStefanik, and others — to sanction the ICC if they attempt to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Americans or our allies."
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) June 4, 2024
The bill would impose sanctions on those involved in ICC investigations of Americans or U.S. allies not members of the ICC, such as Israel.
Republicans have lambasted the court for a false dichotomy between Israel and Hamas, with Stefanik calling the body an “illegitimate court that equivocates a peaceful nation protecting its right to exist with radical terror groups that commit genocide.”
She said the bill “will hold the corrupt ICC accountable to protect Israel and our allies from baseless attacks from antisemitic unelected bureaucrats at the ICC.
Netanyahu himself attacked the ICC charges as “false symmetry” and “beyond outrageous” and disputed the claims made by the court as well.
“That’s like saying that, well, I’m issuing the arrest warrants for FDR and Churchill, but also for Hitler, or I’m issuing arrest warrants for George Bush, George W. Bush, but also for bin Laden,” Biden told CNN in May. “That’s absurd.”
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is the lead advocate for the bill across the Capitol. Yet Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is unlikely to take up the bill after strong Biden opposition.
Republicans are unlikely to drop the issue amid Israel’s ongoing retaliatory actions in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Additionally, the chaos in the Middle East feeds their election year framing of the dire consequences of Biden’s weakness on the global stage.
“Absent decisive leadership at the White House, Congress must stand in the breach defending our allies and our sovereignty,” Roy said.
Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted present.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
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