US House Passes Bill To Sanction International Criminal Court Over Israel

Washington: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court over its prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials related to the war in Gaza.The vote was 247 to 155, with 42 Democrats joining Republicans in backing the measure. There were no Republican “nay” votes, although two voted “present.”The measure is not expected to become law, but reflects continuing support for Israel in Congress amid international criticism over the Middle East country’s campaign in the Gaza Strip.The White House last month criticized the ICC’s decision to seek the warrants.The bill is not expected to be brought up for a vote in the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Biden’s fellow Democrats.The legislation would impose sanctions on people involved in ICC prosecutions of Americans or citizens of U.S. allies that are not ICC members, including Israel.It also would block such ICC officials’ entry to the United States, revoke any U.S. visas and restrict them from U.S. property transactions