The US House of Representatives has backed a bill to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its investigation of the US and its allies.
The text of the bill emphasises that the US should impose sanctions on the ICC if the body “attempts to investigate, detain, arrest or prosecute any protected person”.
According to the published information, this category includes nationals of the country, including the military, anyone who works for the US government, nationals of countries among Washington’s allies, if these states do not recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction. During the vote, the document was supported by 247 lawmakers, 155 opposed.
In addition, US sanctions may also apply to persons who assist the work of the ICC. Inclusion in the sanctions list means denial of visas, freezing of assets in the United States and a ban on American citizens and companies to do business with its representatives, follows from the bill.
The document states that US lawmakers condemn ICC prosecutor Karim Khan for his demand to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Galant. Khan claimed the prosecutor’s office had gathered evidence of “responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Palestinian territory since at least 8 October 2023.” The prosecutor also demanded arrest warrants for three leaders of the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Earlier, Karim Khan said in an interview with The Sunday Times that the US and Britain, which opposed the issuance of an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the way the fighting in the Gaza Strip is being conducted, must take a historical retrospective look at the actions of their own states in similar cases.
