WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant:
“Today’s issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant is the nail in the coffin for the ICC. This clearly political move has erased the last illusions of legitimacy for the organization.
“The ICC does not have jurisdiction over Israel. While I supported the work the ICC was doing to prosecute Putin for his war crimes in Ukraine, I can no longer support an organization that has blatantly chosen to disregard its mandate.
“President Biden can and should immediately cut off funding to the ICC and sanction the individuals involved in this illegal decision. If he doesn’t, the Senate must immediately vote on the bipartisan, House-passed Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act that will do just that. Democrats have been blocking efforts to consider this legislation for months. It’s time Leader Schumer bring this bill up for a vote.”
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