Next US senate majority leader threatens ICC with sanctions over arrest warrants against Israeli leaders

The newly-elected future majority leader of the U.S. Senate, John Thune, threatened to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) unless its prosecutor stops demanding arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.

Thune wrote on his 𝕏 account: “If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis.”

In June, the U.S. House voted to impose sanctions against ICC officials in response to prosecutor Karim Khan’s demand to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes in Gaza. The bill has not moved forward since and was met with strong opposition by the White House.

“If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress,” Thune vowed.

If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis. If Majority Leader Schumer does…

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 17, 2024

The House bill passed with a majority of 247-155, including the support of 42 Democrats, proposed canceling U.S. visas for ICC officials and imposing entry restrictions and financial sanctions on court officials attempting to detain or prosecute U.S. allies.

“We don’t believe that sanctioning the ICC is the answer,” U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said at the time, which led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say he was “surprised and disappointed” by the Biden administration’s reticence.

Spoke with Prime Minister @netanyahu and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to standing with Israel, our closest friend and ally. pic.twitter.com/nbtpgGqqZ0

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 14, 2024

Recently appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel is “the most threatened country in the world,” adding, “The purpose of the various proceedings in the courts in The Hague is to deny Israel the right of self-defense.”

In late May, Khan publicly announced his intention to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged “war crimes” in Gaza. Khan also announced that he would seek warrants for two Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif – who have since been eliminated by Israel Defense Forces.

The efforts to issue arrest warrants have dragged on but were hampered by an increasing number of scandals surrounding Khan, who, in September, was reported to the British Bar Standards Board (BSB) for making “false” statements about Israeli leaders and for misleading the court.

In October, the Wall Street Journal reported that Khan’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were an attempt to divert attention from the sexual misconduct allegations against him.