Published 21 May 2024 at 10.22
Foreign. The White House is furious after the ICC's chief prosecutor announced that he will seek an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Republicans in Congress are considering sanctions against the international court.
Share Article
TwittraShare
International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister and defense minister as well as Hamas' three top leaders.
The news has sparked an outcry among the politicians in Israel.
– The prosecutor in The Hague, how dare you compare the monsters of Hamas with the soldiers of the IDF, the world's most moral army? says Benjamin Netanyahu himself.
He calls the chief prosecutor's decision an example of “the new anti-Semitism”.
Even in Washington, the announcement causes great anger. US President Joe Biden calls the warrant request “shameless”.
“Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor may suggest, there is no similarity – none at all – between Israel and Hamas,” writes Biden in a statement.
– What is happening is not a genocide, we reject it, Biden said late on Monday evening Swedish time.
Even US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls the prosecutor's request as “shameful”.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson says congressional Republicans are considering sanctions against the ICC.
– In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is considering all opportunities, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure consequences for its leaders if they go ahead with this, he says.