U.S. House of Representatives Passes Bill to Sanction International Criminal Court Over Israel

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that targets the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its prosecutor's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials regarding the Gaza war. The bill was approved with 247 votes in favor and 155 against, with 42 Democratic representatives supporting it. No Republican representatives voted against it, and only two abstained. Although the bill is not expected to become law, it reflects ongoing support for Israel in the U.S. Congress amid international criticism of Israel's military operations in Gaza. The White House had previously objected to the ICC prosecutor's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. It is also not expected that this bill will be voted on in the U.S. Senate, which has a Democratic majority. The bill imposes sanctions on ICC officials who pursue legal action against Americans or citizens of U.S. allied countries that are not members of the ICC, including Israel. If enacted, the bill would prevent ICC officials from entering the U.S., revoke any existing U.S. visas they hold, and prohibit them from buying or selling property in the U.S. Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, stated last month that he has enough evidence to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders bear 'criminal responsibility' for what has been described as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu dismissed the ICC prosecutor's decision as meaningless, claiming it targets all Israeli people.