If the ICC issues an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, there will be consequences for the court’s employees and their families. That’s what 12 pro-Israel senators promise in a threatening letter to the court’s chief prosecutor.
The considerable strength of the Israel lobby in the US, which funds many American politicians, is nothing new, but has become even more evident in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.
Nevertheless, many reacted with surprise and dismay when a group of Republican senators decided to sign a letter threatening the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, and his family should the ICC decide to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The letter is signed by 12 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnel, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio, and states that an arrest warrant for any Israeli leader will be interpreted “not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States”.
Read the letter from 12 Republican senators threatening ICC chief prosecutor @KarimKhanQC with "severe" consequences for him, his family & staff if he goes ahead with an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. "You have been warned."
Oh and subscribe to Zeteo too:https://t.co/pVvXi4IB6C pic.twitter.com/aXfKH03T16
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 6, 2024
“You have been warned”
“Target Israel and we will target you”, they threaten, promising “strong sanctions” against the court’s staff and associates “and bar you and your families from the United States”.
“You have been warned”, the Republicans declare, adding that the US will withdraw all support for the ICC if it acts against Israel.
Other signatories to the letter include Tom Cotton, Marsha Blackburn, Katie Boyd Britt, Ted Budd, Kevin Cramer, Bill Hagerty, Pete Ricketts, Rick Scott and Tim Scott.
Statement of the #ICC Office of the Prosecutor pic.twitter.com/Cw331pMcDm
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) May 3, 2024
Mafia-like methods
However, not all US politicians are impressed with the strategy of threatening the ICC into obedience, with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen noting that it is “absolutely wrong to interfere in a judicial matter by threatening judicial officers, their family members and their employees with retribution”.
“This thuggery is something befitting the mafia, not US senators”, he writes.
In a statement, the ICC condemned all threats against the court and all attempts to influence or intimidate court personnel.
