A bunch of Home Democrats is urging the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) to rescind arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former protection minister as Congress is poised to legislate sanctions over the worldwide courtroom’s actions.
Reps. Eugene Vindman (D-Virg.) and Brad Schneider (D-Unwell.), co-led a letter despatched to Päivi Kaukoranta, President of the Meeting of State Events to the ICC, arguing arrest warrants for officers from a democratic nation “diverts attention and resources from prosecuting genuine war criminals.”
In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants in opposition to the commander of Hamas’s army wing, Mohammed Deif, for the terrorist assault in opposition to Israel dedicated on Oct. 7, but additionally for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Protection Minister Yoav Gallant for conflict crimes dedicated in the course of the subsequent conflict in opposition to Hamas within the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s supporters in Washington argue that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel as a result of it’s not a signatory to the treaty establishing the ICC, and that as a democracy it has the flexibility to analyze itself and maintain perpetrators accountable for crimes dedicated throughout conflict.
“Israel is a democracy governed by the rule of law, with an independent judiciary capable of addressing allegations of misconduct,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Issuing arrest warrants against leaders of a democratic nation defending itself against Hamas — a terrorist organization responsible for heinous war crimes — sets a dangerous precedent that emboldens bad actors and delegitimizes the Court.”
The letter was signed with 40 different Home Democrats, criticizing the courtroom’s determination as eroding belief within the worldwide justice system, in flip weakening efforts to construct international consensus to carry Russia accountable for atrocities in Ukraine. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior Russian official for the conflict crime of kidnapping Ukrainian kids.
The letter got here as 45 Democrats voted with 198 Republicans within the Home to go laws compelling sanctions on ICC officers or entities associated to the courtroom for pursuing investigations or arrest warrants in opposition to U.S. officers or officers from allied international locations like Israel.
Whereas Schneider voted in favor of the laws, Vindman voted in opposition to it. The Virginia democrat previously served as a conflict crimes investigator in Ukraine, and is a acknowledged knowledgeable in prison worldwide regulation.
In an announcement, Vindman mentioned the courtroom’s investigation into Israel “undermines the principles of justice and threatens to politicize the Court’s critical mission to prosecute the world’s most egregious crimes.”
Whereas it’s nonetheless unclear if the Senate can overcome the 60-vote threshold to go the invoice within the higher chamber, President-elect Trump is prone to be open to sanctioning the ICC, having imposed sanctions on the courtroom’s officers throughout his first time period in workplace.
