Kennedy, Rounds, Manchin file resolution to condemn ICC prosecutor’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in introducing a bipartisan resolution to reject the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor's application for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

"America must stand up to the International Criminal Court for abusing its power against our greatest ally in the Middle East. The Senate should condemn the court for seeking arrest warrants that equate Israel's self-defense with Hamas terrorism," said Kennedy.

On May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced that the ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and three Hamas leaders. The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber will decide whether to issue the warrants and can take between one month and one year to issue arrest warrants after it reviews the warrant applications. Neither the U.S. nor Israel was part of the treaty that established the ICC.

"It is unconscionable that the ICC prosecutor would seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for defending against Hamas terrorists. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization while Israel is a democracy and ally of the United States that works hard to uphold international law. This action by the ICC prosecutor draws an equivalency that is devoid of reality. I am proud to lead my colleagues in this resolution that tells the world that we stand with Israel," said Rounds.

"The International Criminal Court's decision to charge Israeli leadership with war crimes is shocking and disgraceful. Israel is facing an existential threat in Hamas's brutal terrorist agenda, and I have continued to support the country's right to defend itself in a manner expected of a nation that abides by the law of armed conflict. I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution with Senator Rounds to condemn the ICC's outrageous choice that equates Israel's efforts to secure its homeland with the barbarism of Hamas, and I encourage all of my colleagues to join us," said Manchin.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also cosponsored the resolution.

Text of the resolution is here.