The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court in response to its pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"This bill is a message to the world that we will not sit by and watch a globalist ‘court’ interfere with Israel’s right to defend itself,” said Florida GOP Rep. Brian Mast, who authored the bill. "There are still six Americans held captive by Hamas in Gaza and we must support Israel in its fight to bring them home."
Forty-two Democrats joined most Republicans in the 247-155 vote, Politico reported. A further two Republicans abstained. The legislation does not have the support of the Biden administration, which has said that "[t]here are more effective ways to defend Israel, preserve U.S. positions on the ICC, and promote international justice and accountability," according to Fox News.
The chief prosecutor of the ICC last month announced he would seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and various Israeli and Hamas leaders in connection with the ongoing conflict.
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