Key Points
- The US House has passed a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials over Israel.
- The Senate has promised swift consideration of the act so Donald Trump can sign it into law.
- The ICC says its decision to pursue warrants against Israeli officials is in line with its approach in all cases.
The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in response to the court issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In November last year, the ICC issued three arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Diab.
It accused them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, claims that Israel rejects.
The move was described as "outrageous" by the US and sparked backlash from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: "America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel."
What is the bill?
The US House voted in favour of the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act", which would sanction any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes US citizens or those of an allied country, including Israel, who are not members of the court.
Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republican voted against it.
The Republican-led house passed the act seeking to sanction the ICC in June, but the measure was never taken up in the Senate, which at the time was controlled by a Democratic majority.
The house vote, one of the first since the new Congress was seated last week, underscored strong support among president-elect Donald Trump's fellow Republicans for Israel's government, now that they control both chambers in Congress.
The Senate's newly appointed Republican majority leader, John Thune, has promised swift consideration of the act in his chamber so Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office.
The court said its decision to pursue warrants against Israeli officials followed its usual process, based on the prosecutor's assessment that there was enough evidence and that issuing arrest warrants immediately could prevent ongoing crimes.
