Israeli PM stunned by US refusal to sanction ICC
Netanyahu was "stunned, disappointed" that the US did not impose ICC sanctions, after prosecutors sought arrest warrants for him and Israel's defense minister.
"U.S. officials have said they will support the International Criminal Court (ICC) sanctions bill. I thought the U.S. still stands by this position, because they reached a bipartisan consensus a few days ago," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 29 in an interview with Sirius XM, a New York-based media outlet.
Last week, the U.S. government objected to ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan's request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of "causing carnage, mistreatment, causing famine as a means of war, blocking humanitarian aid and deliberately targeting civilians in conflict" in the Gaza Strip.
House Speaker Mike Johnson objected to the ICC seeking an arrest warrant for the Israeli official, arguing that it had no jurisdiction over Israel. He said Congress was considering all options, including sanctions.
President Joe Biden also rejected accusations that Tel Aviv's campaign in the Gaza Strip was "genocide" and criticized the ICC prosecutor. The White House vowed to work with Congress to push for a "bipartisan response" to Khan's decision, but did not support sanctions against the ICC.
Republicans are discussing legislation to sanction senior ICC members, according to a May 22 disclosure from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul to Axios. The bill has a chance of passing the Republican-majority House, but is likely to be blocked in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on May 28 that sanctions against the ICC were the right option in the current context. Democrats in both chambers also support the ICC response, but fear sanctions are an overkill response.
"Now, they're questioning the bill again. Really, I feel surprised and disappointed," Netanyahu said, referring to the U.S. response to the ICC. Prosecutor Khan announced on May 20 that he had also sought arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders responsible for "massacres, murders, hostage-taking, rape and sexual assault, torture, cruelty treatment of prisoners" in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In an interview with Sirius XM, Netanyahu disputed accusations from the ICC prosecutor, denying the Israeli government deliberately prevented humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip. "We have moved into the Gaza Strip half a million tons of food and medicine. The region has received a lot of food, estimated at 3,000 calories per person, about 1,000 calories above the standard," he said.
Netanyahu said Israel's enemies in the conflict in the Gaza Strip were Hamas militias, not Palestinian civilians. He also said Israel was "doing its best" to reduce civilian casualties, including "millions" of text messages, leaflets and calls announcing the evacuation of civilians from the conflict zone.
However, Israel has come under fire from the international community for its heavy civilian casualties in its campaign against Gaza, especially after an airstrike on a refugee camp in Rafah left at least 45 dead and 249 wounded. Netanyahu acknowledged it was a "tragic mistake" by the Israeli military.
Gaza fighting erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,100 people. Hamas also took more than 250 hostages from Israel, about 120 of whom remain in the Gaza Strip and dozens of whom are confirmed dead.
Israel has launched a retaliatory military operation in the Gaza Strip and is advancing against Rafah, which it says is Hamas' last stronghold. According to the Gaza Strip's health authority, the Israeli attack killed at least 36,096 people in the strip, mostly civilians.
