TEHRAN - Continuing unconditional support for Israel came to light in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday as the lower chamber of Congress passed a bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to its efforts to prosecute Israeli criminals.

The legislation was approved with a majority of Republican support by a vote of 247-155. 

The bill targets officials of The Hague-based court involved in the case by blocking their entry to the US and restricting any American-based property transactions for them. 

The move came more than two weeks after the ICC chief prosecutor said he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Yoav Gallant.

Karim Khan accused Netanyahu and Gallant of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war. 

Delusion of superiority

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson threw his weight behind the bill. 

"The ICC has to be punished for this action. We cannot allow this to stand," he said. 

Johnson added, "If the ICC was allowed to do this and go after the leaders of countries whose actions they disagree with, why would they not come after America?"

His comments clearly indicate that international organizations do not have the right to hold the US and its allies accountable for committing crimes. In other words, Johnson’s statement suggests that the US is above the law and the ICC must be subservient to Washington’s interests.  

US double-dealing 

Although 42 pro-Israel Democrats crossed the aisle to back the House bill, the White House opposed it. 

“We have made clear that while we oppose the decision taken by the prosecutor of the ICC, we don’t think it is appropriate, especially while there are ongoing investigations inside Israel looking at somebody’s very same questions, and we were willing to work with Congress on what a response might look like, but we don’t support sanctions,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said. 

Democrats who control the US Senate are expected to reject the bill. 

Both Republicans and Democrats have provided unwavering support for Israel, in particular its war on Gaza.

President Joe Biden has also denounced the ICC's request for arrest warrants. So, opposition to the GOP-led effort by the majority of the Democratic lawmakers and the White House puts the spotlight on their ulterior motives. 

The Biden administration is under growing pressure from American Muslim and Arab voters over its unflinching support for Israel. They played a key role in helping Biden win the 2020 presidential election

Biden could risk losing the November presidential election if he fails to rally their support. 

As a result, the White House has turned to duplicity and double-dealing. 

On the one hand, it tries to express support for Israel. On the other, it seeks to appease opposition to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza which has claimed the lives of more than 36,000 Palestinians since October 7.

International isolation 

Nonetheless, the ICC’s move could deal a significant blow to Israel and deepen its isolation. 

If the ICC finally decides to issue the arrest warrants more than 120 countries that have signed the Rome Statute are obliged to arrest the Israeli premier and his war minister and then transfer them to The Hague.

The EU foreign policy chief said last month that the bloc’s member states must abide by the ICC’s decision if it issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.   

“The mandate of the ICC, as an independent international institution, is to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law. All States that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions,” Josep Borrell wrote on X in May. 

Late last month, an investigation by the Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call took the lid off a covert Israeli campaign against the ICC.

The probe said Israel has run an almost decade-long secret war against the ICC. 

It noted that Israel deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear, and allegedly threaten senior staff of the court in an effort to derail its inquiries into Israel’s war crimes. 

According to the Guardian, Israeli intelligence captured the communications of ICC officials, including Khan and his predecessor as a prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, intercepting phone calls, messages, emails, and documents. It further pointed to a recent intercepted communication suggesting that Khan wanted to issue arrest warrants against Israelis but was under “tremendous pressure from the United States”.

The US approach has shown that it rails against international organizations when its hegemonic interests are jeopardized. 

Former president Donald Trump imposed sanctions on top ICC officials, including Khan’s predecessor in 2020, after the court began investigating US war crimes during its occupation of Afghanistan. 

Both Tel Aviv and Washington have tried to demonize the ICC for exposing their war crimes. 
Such smear campaigns against the court come as the United States considers itself as a role model for democracy around the world and Israel claims to be the only democracy in West Asia. 

Democracy means rule by people. Over the past months, anti-war protests have swept US cities and universities. Demonstrators have called for an end to the Gaza war. They have also demanded that Washington stop arming Israel.

Inside Israel, protests against the Gaza war have become a regular occurrence.

But, leaders in the US and Israel have turned a blind eye to growing calls for ending the Gaza war. 

In the eyes of American politicians, democracy must serve the interests of the US and its allies and overlook their crimes. Such a definition has turned democracy into sheer hypocrisy.