House Democrats Vote for Sanctions against Netanyahu in Response to ICC Threats

A group of politicians in the House of Representatives disagreed with President Joe Biden on Tuesday. They wanted to punish officials from the International Criminal Court. This happened because the court's main prosecutor asked to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for war crimes. The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act was approved with 247 votes in favor and 155 against. Most Republicans voted for it, while only 42 Democrats supported it. The bill was led by Rep. Chip Roy from Texas and introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik from New York, Rep. Brian Mast from Florida, and others. Roy said the bill passing shows the ICC that they won't accept their unfair attacks on Israel. The bill would put sanctions on people involved in ICC investigations of Americans or U.S. allies like Israel. Republicans criticized the court for treating Israel and Hamas unfairly. Stefanik called the court illegitimate and said it wrongly compares a peaceful nation like Israel to violent groups like Hamas. Netanyahu also disagreed with the ICC's charges, calling them unfair. President Biden said the comparisons made by the court were absurd. Senator Tom Cotton is leading the support for the bill in the Senate. Republicans are still focused on this issue because of recent events involving Israel and Hamas. Some House Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the bill, despite the White House disagreeing with it. Talks between Democrats and Republicans broke down because of the White House's opposition. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul expressed disappointment in the lack of cooperation between parties. The bill faced criticism from some Democrats who wanted more time to discuss it. They believed the bill could harm the ICC's work in prosecuting serious crimes worldwide. Despite efforts to make the bill bipartisan, the White House's opposition caused a breakdown in discussions. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer emphasized that the bill is not meant to be partisan and called on the Senate to consider it.