Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) issued a “friendly reminder” to the International Criminal Court on Thursday after arrest warrants were issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic,” the Republican senator said, referring to the ICC’s chief prosecutor. “Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it.”
The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic. Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 21, 2024
The law, known as the American Service-Members' Protection Act of 2001, protects “United States military personnel and other elected and appointed officials of the United States Government against criminal prosecution by an international criminal court to which the United States is not party.” It further authorizes the president “to use all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release" of individuals authorized to be freed, including "covered United States persons" or "covered allied persons" from "being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court.”
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Remember: In 2002, Pres. Bush signed into law a bipartisan bill that authorizes the U.S. to use force to liberate any U.S. or allied personnel charged with war crimes. Known in the human rights community as "The Hague Invasion Act," it also lists as “persons authorized to be…
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) November 21, 2024
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told The Times of Israel that Washington is “deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision.”
The spokesperson noted that the ICC has no "jurisdiction over this matter" and said the U.S. will work with allied partners to discuss "next steps."
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