The US House of Representatives passed a bill imposing sanctions on ICC officials involved in issuing the arrest warrant for Netanyahu – Firstpost

On Thursday, the United States House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that seeks to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). The sanctions will be imposed in retaliation for the International Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The bill imposing the sanction is called the “Act on Counteracting Illegal Courts” and was adopted by lawmakers with an overwhelming majority. According to NBC News243 deputies voted for the adoption of the bill and 140 against it.

The bill’s passage reflects America’s strong support for Israel. Of the 243 lawmakers, 45 Democrats joined the 198 Republicans in supporting the bill. No Republicans voted against it.

What’s next?

The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate, where a majority of Republicans were already sworn in this month. The legislation provides sanctions for any foreign national who assists the ICC in its attempts to investigate, detain or prosecute a U.S. citizen or a citizen of an allied country who does not recognize the court’s authority.

It is important to note that neither the United States nor the State of Israel is a party to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC. The sanctions are expected to include the freezing of assets as well as the refusal to issue visas to foreigners who provide material or financial support to the court’s work.

“America is passing this bill because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” said Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a speech before Thursday’s vote. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, 1,200 Israelis and 46,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The ongoing conflict prompted ICC prosecutors to issue arrest warrants last May for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammad Deif. However, all Hamas leaders involved have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, the US Senate, led by Majority Leader John Thune, announced that it would quickly consider the bill and assured that the bill would be signed by US President-elect Donald Trump after he takes over the Oval Office on January 20.

With agency input.