US Secretary of State Considers Sanctions against ICC on Seeking Arrest Warrants

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed to work with Congress to block funds to the  International Criminal Court as the prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli leaders involved in war crimes.

The special congressional hearing was on the situation at the ICC, where Blinken condemned what he called a “profoundly wrong-headed decision. ”This comes as a barrage of Republican threats to arrest and prosecute ICC officials is imminent with a vote on it this week.

However, the USA is not a member of the ICC; nonetheless, it has participated in endorsing the court’s prosecution of cases, for instance, Russia for the war in Ukraine, where Putin has been arrested on a warrant.

In a Senate foreign affairs committee, ranking Republican James Risch asked if Blinken would endorse a bill against the ICC’s participation in states with an independent judiciary. Blinken agreed affirmatively, provided the support would be bipartisan in solving the problem.

The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan recently applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside three Hamas officials: Yahya Sinwar is from Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh is from Hamas too as well as Mohammed Deif.

President Joe Biden disapproved of the recent actions made by the ICC, pointing out that there is no parity of arms between Israel and Hamas. The comments agree with those of others in Washington who declined the decision made by the ICC.

The Federal Congress has already witnessed the introduction of at least two pieces of legislation to reduce the ICC’s authority. The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, a recently passed bill by a Texan Republican, Chip Roy, is among the most ambitious. It will prevent ICC high-ranking officials of the case from entering the country, cancel their visas, and prohibit transactions with the property. This bill has been endorsed by 37 members of Congress and ranking Republican member Elise Stefanik, who recently toured Israel.

The self-defence of the Israel nation was described as terrorism by the ICC, and Stefanik criticised this. Likewise, Republican Andy Barr from Kentucky demanded a stricter approach to prohibit further attempts of the ICC to continue the case against Israel.

The support that the democracies have for the sanctioning of the ICC is not very clear. The party is split: some members are satisfied with Biden’s stance on Israel, and others are demanding more criticism of the Netanyahu government aggression in Gaza. Ohio Democrat Greg Landsman followed the exact words by requesting a cross-aisle condemnation of the ICC; as he said, seeking arrest warrants would only worsen the tensions and erode the court’s authority.

Nonetheless, some Democratic Congresspersons, such as Ilhan Omar, have supported the actions of the ICC while stressing the need to respect the principles of justice internationally.

There are concerns about the future of sanction efforts. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration plans to take further action on the bill with lawmakers. At the same time, Russia’s presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov commented on the issue, voicing some concern about the US’s readiness to sanction the ICC, describing it as ‘more than curious’.

As the situation unfolds, the White House is said to be considering how to act against the ICC. The decision will be made between supporting the International Criminal Court and maintaining diplomacy regarding Israel.