US believes that the ICC has ‘no jurisdiction’ after issuing arrest warrants
The administration of US President Joe Biden is rejecting the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants … saying it is deeply concerned. The US believes that the ICC has no jurisdiction – this is something that it said back in May as well. It is going to be coordinating with Israel as well as its international partners, it says, to discuss next steps.
Having said that, one of the top Republicans in the US Senate, Senator Lindsey Graham, who posted earlier that he was opposed to this decision, has since issued another post that is even stronger.
He goes on to say to President Biden as well as President-elect Donald Trump … those who do not act forcefully against the ICC in this outrageous decision are making a huge mistake and I fear that the United States is next.
It’s extremely serious [that the US is threatening sanctions]. It’s saying that it … doesn’t recognise the jurisdiction of the court, which we know, but that is and in itself hypocritical because it does recognise the jurisdiction when it comes to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, which this administration has called a war criminal.
The other reason why this is serious is that any sort of US sanctions against the ICC prosecutor would mean that their property would be revoked if they have property here in the United States. They could be prevented from conducting any sort of transactions with regards to their property.
They could have their visas revoked and they could also be prevented from travelling to the US. The implications could have a ripple effect, and so it is extremely serious.
Rashida Tlaib hails ‘historic’ arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant
The Palestinian American US congresswoman welcomes the ICC’s decision and calls on the Biden administration to end “complicity” in Israeli abuses.
“The International Criminal Court’s long overdue decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity signals that the days of the Israeli apartheid government operating with impunity are ending,” Tlaib said in a statement.
“Since this genocide began, the United States has provided more than $18bn in weapons to the Israeli government. The Biden Administration can no longer deny that those same US weapons have been used in countless war crimes.”
She added that Washington must immediately halt all arms transfers to the “Israeli apartheid regime”.
“Today’s historic arrest warrants cannot bring back the dead and displaced, but they are a major step towards holding war criminals accountable,” the congresswoman added.
US lawmaker threatens ICC with ‘Hague Invasion Act’
Rebuking the ICC, Republican Senator Tom Cotton has invoked a US law that authorises the US president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free Americans or allied individuals detained at the request of the court.
To protect American service members from the ICC, Congress in 2002 passed the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, which some have branded “The Hague Invasion Act”.
This law, which rights groups say is intended to intimidate countries that ratify the ICC treaty, authorises the use of military force to liberate any American or citizen of a US-allied country being held by the court in The Hague.
“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic,” Cotton wrote in a social media post.
“Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it.”
White House suggests it is open to ICC sanctions
Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reiterates that the Biden administration “fundamentally rejects” the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Asked about Republican calls for sanctioning court officials, Jean-Pierre told reporters: “We are in consultation with our partners, which include Israel, about our next steps.”
