House Speaker Mike Johnson has condemned the potential issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, denouncing it as an “lawless action.”
According to a report from the Times of Israel, the Israeli government is anticipating that ICC prosecutor Karim Khan might issue warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The focus of these warrants would be on allegations accusing Israel of deliberately starving Gazans during its military operations against Iranian-backed Hamas militants.
In a statement obtained by Newsmax, Johnson expressed his dismay, stating, “It is disgraceful that the International Criminal Court is reportedly planning to issue baseless and illegitimate arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.” He emphasized that such actions by the ICC would directly undermine U.S. national security interests.
Warning against potential ramifications, Johnson highlighted the dangerous precedent such a move could set. He argued that if left unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC might assert unprecedented authority to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, diplomats, and military personnel, thereby jeopardizing the sovereignty of the United States.
Johnson urged the ICC to redirect its focus to more pressing matters, asserting, “Instead of wrongly targeting Israel, the ICC should pursue charges against Iran and its terror proxies, including Hamas, for engaging in horrific war crimes.” He called upon the Biden administration to demand unequivocally that the ICC halt its actions and suggested that the U.S. employ all available means to prevent such an outcome.
Responding to inquiries during Monday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the administration’s stance, stating, “We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation; we do not support it.” She emphasized the administration’s belief that the ICC lacks jurisdiction in this matter and declined to elaborate further on the issue at this time.
{Matzav.com}
