Despite White House's Opposition, House Passes Roy's Bill Sanctioning ICC With Bipartisan Vote.

On Tuesday afternoon, after agreeing earlier in the day to consider the bill, the House voted to pass Rep. Chip Roy's (R-TX) H.R.8282, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act. The bill passed 247-155, with 2 Republicans voting "present." Introduced early last month by Roy and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), the bill gained more traction when news later came out less than two weeks later that the International Criminal Court (ICC) was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Such a bill will "impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies."
Roy, a member of the House Rules Committee, spoke in favor of the bill earlier on Tuesday from the House floor as it was being debated. He offered that "this is an issue that really shouldn't be partisan," highlighting how he's had "healthy" and "good conversations" with Democrats. Roy also made clear in summing up the bill that "at stake right now is the critically important issue of ensuring we protect America's interest!"
"It isn't just about Israel. In fact, it's not even specifically about Israel," Roy continued as he categorized his bill to be one that would bring "a permanent change to the law to ensure that if the [ICC] targets Americans, or targets our allies, that they we would sanction the [ICC]!"
The congressman also emphasized that this was an "unprecedented" action taken by the ICC in going after sitting officials in Israel.

https://x.com/RulesReps/status/1798014262574780896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1798014262574780896%7Ctwgr%5E9d511c4dcb15053e46c179a836ec4c0076439056%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Frebeccadowns%2F2024%2F06%2F04%2Ficc-votechip-roy-n2639980
 
During last Tuesday's White House press briefing, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said that while the Biden administration opposes the ICC arrest warrants--President Joe Biden responded with a measly three sentence--they do not support the sanctions bill.
Also on Tuesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) shared from the House floor how the Biden White House has gotten involved to squash support for the bill.

https://x.com/HouseForeignGOP/status/1798093121458209283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1798093121458209283%7Ctwgr%5E9d511c4dcb15053e46c179a836ec4c0076439056%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Frebeccadowns%2F2024%2F06%2F04%2Ficc-votechip-roy-n2639980
 
"Mr. Meeks and I wanted, in good faith, to make this a bipartisan bill, and I thank him for that," McCaul shared, referring to Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "Initially, the White House supported this idea. However, on May 28th, they did a 180 degree turn," McCaul revealed, noting how even fellow Democrat, Maryland's Sen. Ben Cardin, said he was "disappointed" as he "thought they were going to try and work on a bipartisan bill."
A person familiar with the legislation confirmed the validity of McCaul's remarks to Townhall.
McCaul further reminded how the United States and Israel are not even members of the ICC, as Roy had also done.
House Republican leaders also held a press conference on Tuesday to discuss, among other topics, Roy's bill. While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) acknowledged that the White House was opposed to the bill, he hoped House Democrats would join Republicans in holding the ICC accountable for what he called "unconscionable" and said was a move that "cannot stand." Johnson also warned that the ICC could come after Americans.
Johnson also spoke out against the ICC once the arrest warrants were announced.

https://x.com/therecount/status/1798027309414252708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1798027309414252708%7Ctwgr%5E9d511c4dcb15053e46c179a836ec4c0076439056%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Frebeccadowns%2F2024%2F06%2F04%2Ficc-votechip-roy-n2639980

Those Democrats supporting the bill included Reps. Brendan Boyle (PA), Yadira Caraveo (CO), Matt Cartwright (PA), Angie Craig (MN), Henry Cuellar (TX), Donald Davis (NC), Lois Frankel (FL), Ruben Gallego (AZ), Jared Golden (ME), Dan Goldman (NY), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Steven Horsford (NV), Greg Landsman (OH), Susie Lee (NV), Mike Levin (CA), Kathy Manning (NC), Lucy McBath (GA), Grace Meng (NY), Jared Moskowitz (FL), Wiley Nickel (NC), Donald Norcross (NJ), Frank Pallone (NJ), Jimmy Panetta (CA), Chris Pappas (NH), Mary Peltola (AK), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Scott Peters (CA), Dean Phillips (MN), Patrick Ryan (NY), Brad Schneider (IL), Kim Schrier (WA), David Scott (GA), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Darren Soto (FL), Greg Stanton (AZ), Tom Suozzi (NY), Shri Thanedar (MI), Ritchie Torres (NY), Juan Vargas (CA), Marc Veasey (TX), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL).  Many such members are pro-Israel Democrats and/or are considered more vulnerable members ahead of the November elections.  

Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted "present" on the bill.
While news of the ICC chief prosecutor seeking arrest warrants came down on May 20, there had been chatter for weeks that such warrants were coming. Not only was HR 8282 introduced, but members from both chambers and both sides of the aisle took action to urge the president to actually do something.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who also spoke during Tuesday's press conference in favor of the bill, and who sponsored the bill with Roy, issued several press releases on the matter. As Stefanik reminded, she signed onto a letter on April 30 with fellow New York Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Marc Molinaro calling on Biden to oppose such efforts from the ICC to issue arrest warrants.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in early May also sent out such a letter to Biden, as Rubio reminded in a press release when news of the arrest warrants came in.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2024/06/04/icc-votechip-roy-n2639980

Republican Senators Warn ICC Chief Prosecutor Regarding Netanyahu Arrest Warrant: “Target Israel and We Will Target You … You Have Been Warned.”

A group of Republican senators has issued a stern warning to Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), over potential arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
The proposed warrants are reportedly connected to allegations of war crimes during the recent Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, is said to be nearing the decision despite Israel’s non-membership and non-recognition of the court. Since the Palestinian territories were admitted as a member state in 2015, the ICC has asserted jurisdiction over alleged war crimes committed by both Hamas and Israeli forces in Gaza.
Karim Khan, the ICC Chief Prosecutor, previously claimed that the court has the “authority” to investigate any such crimes and aims to hold those accountable who are found in violation of international law.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded fiercely to the ICC’s potential move, condemning it as a grave misjudgment and a significant threat to Israel’s national security.
In a video statement released on Tuesday, Netanyahu accused the court of betraying its foundational principles:
“The International Criminal Court in The Hague is contemplating issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials as war criminals,” Netanyahu stated.
“This would be an outrage of historic proportions. International bodies like the ICC arose in the wake of the Holocaust committed against the Jewish people. They were set up to prevent such horrors, to prevent future genocides. Yet now, the international court is trying to put Israel in the dark.”
“It’s trying to put us in the dark as we defend ourselves against genocidal terrorists and regimes like Iran, of course, that openly works to destroy the one and only Jewish state.”

https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1785362914519519597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1785362914519519597%7Ctwgr%5Eee9bb9b3926e21ebf0961c0d269f1cea6839ab53%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2024%2F04%2Fisraels-prime-minister-netanyahu-responds-potential-war-crimes%2F

Netanyahu praised the ethical conduct of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and highlighted their efforts to minimize civilian casualties, despite Hamas’s alleged use of human shields. He warned that labeling Israeli leaders and soldiers as war criminals would further stoke global anti-Semitism.
“Branding Israel’s leaders and soldiers as war criminals will pour jet fuel on the fires of anti-Semitism, those fires that are already raging on the campuses of America and across capitals around the world. It will also be the first time that a democratic country, fighting for its life according to the rules of war, is itself accused of war crimes.”

Reacting to the ICC’s actions, a group of Republican senators, including Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Tim Scott (R-SC), have penned a threatening letter to the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor.
They argue that the ICC’s actions would illegitimately punish Israel for defending itself against Iranian-backed aggressions and inaccurately portray Israel’s military responses as equivalent to Hamas’s terrorism.
The letter explicitly threatens severe sanctions against Khan and the ICC, including ending all American support, should the warrants be issued.
Read the letter below:
“We write regarding the reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be considering issuing international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Such actions are illegitimate and lack legal basis, and if carried out will result in severe sanctions against you and your institution.
The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed “scenes of calculated cruelty” conducted by Hamas in Israel following the October 7 attacks. These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. To be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas’s terrorism and Israel’s justified response.
The ICC is also prohibited by its charter from proceeding in any case unless the relevant government is unwilling or unable to police themselves. You yourself have said that “Israel has trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.” By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government.
Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose your organization’s hypocrisy and double standards. Your office has not issued arrest warrants for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian official, Syrian President Bashar al Assad or any other Syrian official, or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or any other Hamas official. Nor have you issued an arrest warrant for the genocidal General Secretary of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or any other Chinese official.
Finally, neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC and are therefore outside of your organization’s supposed jurisdiction. If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States. Our country demonstrated in the American Service-Members’ Protection Act the lengths to which we will go to protect that sovereignty.
The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/republican-senators-warn-icc-chief-prosecutor-regarding-netanyahu/