In a White House statement on Monday, President Biden condemned the ICC’s chief prosecutor for seeking to indict two senior Israeli officials — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yov Gha — in issuing an arrest warrant for the Hamas leader. Lant’s decision to issue an arrest warrant.
Biden’s decision to staunchly back Netanyahu was echoed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who in a statement called prosecutor Karim Khan’s actions “shameful” and said the U.S.’s refusal to recognize him was “considerable.” to Israel” and Hamas. ”
Blinken accused Khan of “announcing the charges on cable TV” even as his staff canceled a planned visit to Israel to discuss the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israel’s war conduct. “These and other circumstances call into question the legality and credibility of this investigation,” he said.
“It’s disgraceful,” Blinken said of prosecutors’ decision to issue arrest warrants to leaders on both sides of the conflict, suggesting they were reciprocal. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that has committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people, including Americans, hostage. This decision will do nothing to help achieve a ceasefire,” It could even jeopardize ongoing efforts to free hostages and massive humanitarian aid.
However, the strong condemnation of the ICC comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Netanyahu over Israel’s war and preparations for a major offensive against Rafah, a city in southern Gaza crowded with displaced Palestinians of. Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu not to take actions that would endanger the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have taken refuge there.
Biden and other administration officials have criticized Israel’s bombing and incursion into Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, causing unnecessary casualties and material damage. But Biden also said he would not give up on Israel and insisted that Netanyahu and the country’s leaders have the right to protect their people from terrorist threats.
The United States has said in the past that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the conflict over Israel, which is not a member of the court. In a statement, Blinken called it a “limited jurisdiction court” and criticized its “rush to seek arrest warrants.”
Hours later, Blinken’s spokesman at the State Department, Matthew Miller, went a step further, telling a news conference in Washington that “I have no doubt” that an arrest warrant would be issued for the Israelis. The leaders “will embolden Hamas”.
