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House passes bill to sanction ICC over Israeli arrest warrants

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has arrest warrants out for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

© Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who co-sponsored the legislation along with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), made the bill a priority by bringing it to the floor quickly in the new Congress.

Mast wanted to send a message that the U.S. would stand by Israel, a GOP congressional aide told The Hill earlier this week.

“A kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel, which is not only responding to an enemy, which conducted a genocide," Mast said Thursday on the House floor, "but an enemy who still holds 100 hostages."

The bill passed on a 243-140 vote, with one lawmaker voting present and 50 not voting. A similar measure failed last year, but gained the support of 40 Democrats.

This time, 45 Democrats voted in support of it.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said the ICC "cannot let facts get in the way of its ideological crusade against the Jewish State.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had vowed to advance the legislation this week, saying it was "outrageous" the ICC would pursue warrants against Israel.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) debated against Republicans ahead of the vote, accusing them of moving against the international court because they “don’t want the rules to apply to everyone.”

The bill would sanction any officials with the court, or entities supporting the ICC, who seek to investigate, arrest or detain any U.S. citizen or citizen of an allied country.

The legislation applies to the 32-member Western security alliance NATO and 19 major non-NATO countries, including allies such as Israel.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and Gallant, along with a top Hamas commander believed dead.

The independent court, which the U.S. and Israel are not party to, accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes.

Hamas killed some 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war, while local health officials say more than 46,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza as Israel fights against the militant group.

On the other side of Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he would be bringing the bill to the floor after his predecessor, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), refused to do so last year.

Read more at TheHill.com here.

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