Forty-Five Democrats Join Republicans to Pass Sanctions On ICC Over Netanyahu Arrest Warrant

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court over its issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), passed the House in a 243 to 140 vote, with 45 Democrats joining in support of the GOP-led bill. Thirty Democrats and twenty Republicans did not vote, while one Republican voted present.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) vowed to put the measure up for a vote soon in the Senate and would likely be signed into law by incoming President Donald Trump.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), a steadfast supporter of Israel, slammed the ICC for “legitimizing the false accusations of Israeli war crimes.”

“Israel is the tip of the spear in bringing the fight to an enemy who currently holds and has killed our fellow American. Israel has conducted this war with as much restraint as war can allow. In the face of horror, they have shown humanity,” Mast added in a statement.

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) delivered a floor speech in support of the measure saying, “In November of 2004, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on baseless and reprehensible charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These charges are not only morally indefensible but a blatant bias of justice.”

“Israel does not deliberately target civilians as terrorists, harbor them in mass churches and schools and hospitals and so many more. The Israeli government has taken unprecedented steps to minimize civilian harm during conflicts, a commitment that is unparalleled by any other nation facing terrorists. The accusation that Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war is a blatant lie. Ignoring the immense humanitarian aid Israel has proven and provided to Gaza despite ongoing attacks, this illegitimate attack on Israel emboldens terrorist organizations like Hamas,” Miller said before calling the ICC’s actions “antisemitism.”

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) argued against the measure on the floor, saying, “There is no international right to vengeance, and what we are seeing in Gaza is vengeance.”