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US Politicians Outraged by ICC’s Arrest Warrant for Israel’s Netanyahu

QNN Team

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, is greeted by members of Congress as he arrives to deliver a speech in 2015. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Washington (Quds News Network)- The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed in Gaza.

The court said both Netanyahu and Gallant bear “criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

As expected, US politicians from both major parties expressed outrage at the court’s decision, with many questioning the court’s legitimacy and demanding penalties against its officials.

The administration of President Joe Biden was quick to voice opposition to the ruling.

“We fundamentally reject the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision.”

She also reiterated the US argument that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israeli officials because Israel is not a party to the court.

Asked about calls for sanctioning court officials, Jean-Pierre told reporters: “We are in consultation with our partners, which include Israel, about our next steps.”

Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said it is time for the US government to sanction the ICC for its warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “needs to pass the bipartisan legislation that came from the House sanctioning the Court for such an outrage and President Biden needs to sign it”, Graham wrote in a social media post.

Congressman Mike Waltz, who is set to serve as Trump’s national security adviser, slammed the court over arrest warrants.

“The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the US government,” Waltz wrote in a social media post.

“Israel has lawfully defended its people [and] borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC [and] UN come January.”

Tom Cotton, a Republican senator known for calling for the use of military force, even against domestic protesters, rebuked the ICC.

He invoked a US law that authorizes the US president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free Americans or allied individuals detained at the request of the court.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic,” Cotton wrote in a social media post.

“Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants.”

Pennsylvania Senator John Fettermanused profanity and an Israeli flag emoji to make his views known. “No standing, relevance, or path. F*** that,” he wrote in a social media post.

Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz accused the ICC of “antisemitic double standard”, and Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen urged Biden to “use his authority to swiftly respond to this overreach”.

For his part, New York Congressman Ritchie Torres accused the ICC of criminalizing self-defense.

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