Thu Nov 21 14:54:42 UTC 2024: ## Senate Republicans Threaten ICC Sanctions Over Potential Israeli Arrest Warrants

**Washington D.C.** – Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has issued a strong warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening US sanctions if the court issues arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on war crimes charges. Thune’s statement follows a June House vote to sanction the ICC under similar circumstances.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Thune urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to immediately bring the House-passed sanctions bill to a Senate vote. He stated that if Schumer fails to act, Senate Republicans will prioritize the legislation in the next Congress. Several other Republican senators, including Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tim Scott (R-SC), echoed Thune’s call for immediate action, emphasizing the importance of standing with Israel.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) highlighted that the House passed the sanctions bill in June with bipartisan support (247-155, including 42 Democrats), but Schumer has blocked it from a Senate vote. Republicans fear that the ICC may act swiftly on issuing arrest warrants, potentially fueled by the upcoming Trump presidency. Trump previously imposed sanctions on ICC officials in 2020, sanctions later lifted by President Biden.

The ICC prosecutor has requested the court’s pre-trial chamber to issue warrants, but a decision is pending. The renewed Republican pressure underscores the high stakes involved and the deep divisions between the parties on the issue of US relations with the ICC and Israel.

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