US House passes bill to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court

WASHINGTON

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in protest of its arrest warrant for Israeli officials.

The bill, which was introduced last Friday as soon as the 119th Congress began, passed in a 243-140 vote.

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act imposes sanctions on those who aid efforts by the ICC to prosecute Americans or Israelis.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib criticized the voting.

"What’s their top priority the first week of the new Congress? Lowering costs? Addressing the housing crisis? No, it's sanctioning the International Criminal Court to protect genocidal maniac (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu so he can continue the genocide in Gaza," Tlaib wrote on X.

Rep. Jim McGovern criticized Republicans for prioritizing sanctioning the ICC amid the wildfires in the state of California.

"Of all the ways that Republicans have shown this country how messed up and backwards their priorities are, I have to say that this bill that we debating today to sanction the International Criminal Court, the ICC, this really takes the cake," McGovern said from the House floor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to bring the legislation to the Senate floor.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 46,000 victims, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.