US passes ICC sanctions bill to protect Israeli war criminals
On Thursday, House lawmakers voted 243-140 in favor of to the legislative text, which was introduced by Republican Representatives Chip Roy and Brian Mast, according to Press TV.
The bill, which now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, stipulates that the warrants against the Israeli officials should be “condemned in the strongest possible terms.”
It also urges sanctions with respect to the court over “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include prohibiting US property transactions and blocking and revoking visas.
Last year, the ICC, based in The Hague, issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
In response, the House passed the ICC sanctions bill, but it was not brought to a vote in the Senate, which was then under Democratic control. Thursday”s vote was the second time that the chamber voted for the pro-Israel measure.
Israel launched its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a surprise operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
So far, the criminal regime has killed at least 46,006 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 109,378 others, in the besieged territory.
Source: Morteza Ahmadi Al Hashem