House Votes to Sanction ICC Following Warrants for Netanyahu, Top Officials

The House of Representatives voted 247-155 to sanction members of the International Criminal Court on Tuesday afternoon following the court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli and Hamas officials. The vote came down almost on party lines with nearly all Republicans except Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) voting against and a few dozen Democrats voting for it, according to NBC News. The bill does not have support from President Joe Biden and is likely to face an uphill battle in the Senate. President Biden previously called the warrants “outrageous,” qualifying that “there are more effective ways to defend Israel, preserve U.S. positions on the ICC, and promote international justice and accountability,” than to sanction the court, according to NBC News. President Biden told Time in an interview on May 28 that he is “uncertain” whether Israel has committed war crimes.