The Facts
The US House Tuesday passed by a 247-155 vote a bill to punish the International Criminal Court (ICC) for recommending charges against Benjamin Netanyahu.
The vote is reportedly the House’s first such move against ICC's top prosecutor Karim Khan since he sought arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister last month.
The Spin
Pres. Joe Biden's opposition to the bill punishing the ICC for its prosecutor's ridiculous move to seek the Israeli Prime Minister's arrest is surprising, given the bipartisan support the US is supposed to have extended Israel. Israel can hardly be termed the aggressor here and failure of the bill due to a lack of support from the top would send out a muddled message to both Israelis and the world.
The importance of the ICC's role in addressing international crimes needs to be emphasized at this moment in history, keeping in mind the context of the US's own support and assistance to the organization. Pres. Biden must reject any legislative efforts to undermine the ICC and reaffirm the US's support for independent international justice mechanisms.
