However, Congresswoman Tlaib hails arrest warrants; Dearborn mayor also backs ICC decision
\n Washington DC
\nUS officials have opposed the International Criminal Court\u2019s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
\nIn its statement, the ICC said a pre-trial chamber had dismissed Israel\u2019s challenges to the court\u2019s jurisdiction and found \u201creasonable grounds\u201d to hold the three men \u201ccriminally responsible.\u201d The charges include allegations of murder, persecution, and starvation as methods of warfare.
\nAlthough Israel claims Deif was killed in a July airstrike, the ICC prosecutor\u2019s office said it could not verify his status. For Deif, the chamber found \u201creasonable grounds\u201d to hold him responsible for murder, extermination, torture, and sexual violence as crimes against humanity. Hamas has rejected the allegations, but welcomed the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, calling them a \u201chistorical precedent.\u201d
\nNetanyahu condemned the ICC as \u201cantisemitic\u201d and said it sought to delegitimise Israel\u2019s right to self-defence. \u201cIt\u2019s a dark day in the history of humanity,\u201d he said, adding the ICC had become \u201can enemy of humanity.\u201d
\nMeanwhile, President Joe Biden\u2019s administration voiced \u201cfundamental\u201d opposition to the warrants, calling the ICC\u2019s decision an overreach.
\n\u201cWe fundamentally reject the court\u2019s decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials,\u201d White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. She cited \u201ctroubling process errors\u201d leading to the warrants but did not specify the alleged issues.
\nRepublicans went a step further, calling for sanctions against the Hague-based tribunal.
\nSenator Lindsey Graham urged Senate leaders to pass a sanctions bill already cleared by the House. \u201cThe Senate needs to pass this bipartisan legislation that came from the House sanctioning the Court for such an outrage, and President Biden needs to sign it,\u201d Graham wrote in a social media post.
\nRepublican Senator Tom Cotton, known for hardline positions, suggested using military force under the American Service-Members\u2019 Protection Act, informally called the \u201cHague Invasion Act.\u201d
\nThe 2021 removal of sanctions against ICC officials by Biden has been a point of contention for many conservatives. In the wake of the ICC\u2019s recent actions, incoming Trump administration officials have also voiced strong opposition.
\nCongressman Mike Waltz, who will serve as Trump\u2019s national security adviser, accused the ICC of antisemitic bias. \u201cThe ICC has no credibility,\u201d he posted, condemning the warrants as a baseless attack on Israel\u2019s right to defend itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
However, Congresswoman Tlaib hails arrest warrants; Dearborn mayor also backs ICC decision Washington DC US officials have opposed the International Criminal Court\u2019s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In its statement, the ICC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-445171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n