Live updates: Israel urges civilians to leave eastern Rafah as cease-fire hopes fade
NBCApr 29
Republican Senators Threaten ICC Over Possible Israel Arrest Warrants
story
Image copyright: Kevin Dietsch/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
A dozen Republican senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have threatened the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it proceeds with issuing arrest warrants against top Israeli officials over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.
In a letter to the ICC's chief prosecutor — dated Apr. 24, but only made public by journalists on Monday — the US senators said: "The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you."
The Spin
Right narrative
As the senators correctly state in their letter, Israel is not a signatory of the Rome Statute and thus, the ICC does not have the jurisdiction to investigate Israeli officials. Should the court attempt to go beyond its well-defined boundaries, the US has every right to take action and prevent this abusive prosecution from taking place.
Left narrative
This type of language from Republicans is more appropriate to the Mafia than US lawmakers. This is clearly intimidation of the ICC that risks severely hampering its independence and impartiality. It also opens the US up to accusations of double standards and hypocrisy after it worked with the ICC to bring charges against Russian officials for actions in Ukraine.
