ICC has no authority over Israel: US lawmaker seeks sanctions to ‘punish’ ICC over arrest warrant application

Responding swiftly on the statement from the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, US House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that if the ICC issues an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US lawmakers are considering applying penalties against the court.

“Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next,” he added in the tweet.
He went on to say "The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today's baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation."

The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today’s baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation. International bureaucrats cannot be allowed to use lawfare to usurp the authority of democratic nations that maintain the rule of law.…

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 20, 2024

The whole episode

ICC war crime prosecutor called for arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu

The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court, International Criminal Court, has called for the arrest of top leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Benjamin Netanyahu. It is worth to be noted that the statement has come over the actions taken during the seven month war.

The court prosecutor Karim Khan accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant an three Hamas leaders Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of war crime against humanity at Gaza strip and Israel. The remarks from Khan are seen as symbolic blow. 

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan while speaking called for the arrest. Listen to what he said:

🚨BREAKING: ICC PROSECUTOR KARIM KHAN ANNOUNCES APPLICATIONS FOR ARREST WARRANTS IN RELATION TO BENJAMIN NETANYAHU AND YOAV GALLANT

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan:

“On the basis of evidence collected and examined by my Office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin… pic.twitter.com/zv5ohrsRA6

— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) May 20, 2024

“On the basis of evidence collected and examined by my Office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin NETANYAHU, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav GALLANT, the Minister of Defence of Israel, bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023."

Shame on the international court: Netanyahu 

In reaction to the announcement, Benjamin Netanyahu called Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of ICC a “great antisemites in modern times”. Responding with fury to the news that he might face an arrest warrant, he said, Israel was "waging a just war against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that perpetrated the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust."

Taking it to its official X handle, he said, “It will cast an everlasting mark of shame on the international court.”

The outrageous decision by the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, to seek arrest warrants against the democratically elected leaders of Israel is a moral outrage of historic proportions.

It will cast an everlasting mark of shame on the international court. pic.twitter.com/NJKYv06fyE

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 20, 2024