The US Senate is blocking the bill that sanctions ICC for justified arrest orders of Israel | ICC News

Washington, County Colombia – Democrats in the Senate of the United States have blocked the adoption of a bill that would Sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) On issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Joab Gallant over suspected war crimes in Gaza.

Vote on Tuesday saw Bill Earn 54 support votes and 45 opposed, reaching the 60 votes needed to switch to final vote.

Experts of the United Nations, European employees and current and former presidents of the management body have come up with the bill, warning that it will set a dangerous precedent in times of increased importance for the international legal order.

But many of the Democrats who voted against the measure still accused the court of taking unfair action against Israel by issuing orders against Netanyahu and Gallant. The court simultaneously issued an order for Hamas commander Mohammed Def for his role in the attack on October 7, 2023 against South Israel.

ICC denied biases in its actions.

Speaking before the vote, Chuck Sumer, the leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate, controlled by the Republicans, said the bill on the sanctions was “one that largely support and would like to see a law.”

“However, as much as I oppose the ICC bias against Israel, as much as I want to see that the institution is drastically reformed and transformed, the bill before us is poorly drafted and deeply problematic,” he said, arguing that the bill said that the bill said It can also hurt us, which is our allies and businesses that deal with the court.

He urged the Republicans to return to the negotiating table to fix the language in the legislation.

By speaking on the Senate's floor in support of the bill, the leader of the Senate majority John Tun, a Republican, said that directing a “close ally of the United States should refer to all of us.”

“While the ICC is aimed at the Israelis today, it could easily look at the Americans,” he said.

Senator John Feterman was the only Democrat to vote in favor of legislation. He quickly won praise from the US Committee on Public Affairs of Israel (AIPAC), a significantly influential pro-Israeli lobby.

In a publication on the Social Media Platform X, the group thanked Fetterman for his “principled leadership of Israel and for standing with Israel against the unfounded ICC attacks.”

In the past, President Donald Trump took a difficult line against the ICC by imposing sanctions To its officials in 2020 for fears that the court was investigating hostilities abroad.

Later, former President Joe Biden's administration annulled this order, but Trump overturned Biden's decision after taking office last week.

Its move so far is symbolic, as the opposite is not automatically assigned to sanctions.

“An impunity culture”

Neither the United States nor Israel are parties in the Statute of Rome, which created the ICC.

However, the court claims that since the alleged war crimes have occurred in Gaza, Israeli officials may be responsible for their actions.

Palestine State has been a member of the ICC since 2015.

The court used a similar argument in the issuance of arrest orders to Russian officials for alleged abuses in Ukraine, a move, welcomed by US officials at the time. Russia is not a party at the ICC, but it is Ukraine.

When issuing orders against Netanyahu and Gallant, MHS prosecutors have argue that Israeli restrictions on gas assistance, including water and medicine, are hungry as a method of war.

The two Israeli officials were also charged with crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution, as well as a military crime for targeting attacks on civilians.

To date, Israel's war in Gaza has killed 47 354 Palestinians, while displacing almost the entire population of the enclave. Since January 19, there has been a repeated termination of fire.

ICC also sought orders for Hamas political leader Ismail Hannie and his top Gaza leader, a sine, before both men were killed in Israeli strikes.

Earlier this month, UN experts called In the US Senate to reject the bill after it was adopted by the Republican House of Representatives.

“It is shocking to see a country that considers itself the champion of the rule of law, trying to stimulate the actions of an independent and impartial tribunal created by the international community to thwart accountability,” the experts said.

They added that threats to ICC “encourage the culture of impunity.”

In an article published by the Just Security website on Monday, current and former presidents of the state -owned statement of the International Criminal Court, the authority managed, warned that sanctions could “prevent at least 20 investigations worldwide.

“While the challenges remain, we are engaged in the ICC's vision of justice and its mandate to ensure that no one is above the law, regardless of power,” they wroteS

“Efforts to undermine ICC are attacks against the principle that the law protects the weak against the powerful ones.”