House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) denounced the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s arrest warrant requests for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
ICC prosecutors accused Israeli leaders of international war crimes such as deliberately attacking civilians, starving them, and using torture methods as a war tactic. As a result, the agency filed applications for the arrest warrants with the ICC earlier this week. It would target Netanyahu and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.
“America should punish the ICC and put (chief prosecutor) Karim Khan back in his place. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israel's leaders, we know that America will be next," Johnson said during a press conference.
Johnson said the ICC is a "direct affront" to U.S. sovereignty, hence the reason the country would never endorse it. The Speaker announced that the House would be pushing out aggressive legislation to stop the court from creating an international issue. Johnson threatened the ICC, saying there would be severe punishment if they proceeded.
This is the first time the ICC has attempted to prosecute the U.S. or one of its U.S. allies.
The court’s “baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation,” Johnson said, adding that “International bureaucrats cannot be allowed to use lawfare to usurp the authority of democratic nations that maintain the rule of law.”
In addition, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced legislation that would sanction ICC officials who investigate U.S. citizens or its allies.
Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized the ICC’s actions, including President Joe Biden.
Biden called it “outrageous,” denouncing Khan for comparing the actions of Israel to those of Hamas terrorists.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said the warrant against Netanyahu is "not law but politics.” Meanwhile, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) echoed similar remarks, saying that there is "no equivalence" between Israel and Hamas and that linking the two "demonstrates the ICC's gaping moral failure."
In addition, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the House Republican Conference, declared her support for Roy’s legislation.