House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Los Angeles) on Monday criticized reports that the International Criminal Court plans to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
In a statement, Johnson described the reported arrest warrants as illegal and said, “Instead of wrongly targeting Israel,” the ICC should redirect its focus to Hamas and other Iran-aligned terrorist groups and prosecute them “for their involvement in horrific war crimes.” .
“It is disgraceful to report that the ICC plans to issue baseless and unlawful arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials,” Johnson said in a statement.
He continued: “Such illegal action by the ICC would directly undermine US national security interests.” “If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could establish and assume unprecedented authority to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel, thus endangering our country’s sovereign authority.”
His statement comes amid reports that Israeli officials increasingly believe the ICC is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials and possibly also Hamas leaders.
New York times Israeli officials could be accused of “preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip” and “continuing an excessively harsh response” in the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7, The Times reported.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that it had informed Israeli missions of “rumors” that arrest warrants might be issued against senior political and military officials, the Associated Press reported.
The Biden administration made clear on Monday that it does not support the investigation, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that the administration did not believe the ICC had jurisdiction in the situation.
We have been really clear about the ICC investigation. We do not support that. We do not believe they have jurisdiction. “And I'll leave it there for now,” she said.
While neither Israel nor the United States accepts the ICC's jurisdiction, potential arrest warrants could put Israeli officials at risk in other countries, the AP reported.
“The Biden administration must immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down and the United States must use every tool available to prevent such an abhorrent act,” Johnson wrote in his statement.
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