A group of 12 Republican US senators sent a letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, threatening repercussions if the court issues arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, according a Monday report from news organization Zeteo.

The senators allege that the ICC seeks to punish “legitimate actions of self-defense,” citing Khan’s report of the “calculated cruelty” he witnessed following the October 7 attack and making clear that they find “no moral equivalence between Hamas’s terrorism and Israel’s justified response.” They claimed that the arrest warrants “would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”

The signatories declared they would take any warrant issued as “not only a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States.” They threaten, “Target Israel and we will target you” and that any further action will “end all American support for the ICC” and “bar [Khan] and [his] families from the United States.” It ended: “You have been warned.”

The letter, dated April 24, 2024, was signed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as well as Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Katie Boyd Britt of Alabama; Ted Budd of North California; Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; Ted Cruz of Texas; Bill Hagerty of Tennessee; Pete Ricketts of Nebraska; Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida; and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

[–] Bipta@kbin.social 28 points 6 months ago

Disgusting fascist scum.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social 14 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

The US who isn't supporting the ICC to begin with: We will end our support for you.

[–] Woozythebear@lemmy.world 28 points 6 months ago

America has said that a ICC warrant should be put out for Putin even those Russia does not recognize the ICC then turns around and says America and Israel doesn't recognize the ICC so they can't put out a warrant for Netanyahu.

The funniest part is this is basically judge intimidation to a judge that America installed in the ICC

[–] HuddaBudda@kbin.social 24 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Rick Scott, Fucking Rick Scott. That is still posting election lies, nominating Trump, denying Global warming, and the single reason the cruise industry has been able to skirt environmental laws.

He's done nothing for his state of Florida and expects to have a signature like he represents them.

May that Ghoul rot for 1000 years more.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 6 months ago

Rick Scott

Bald bastard.

[–] DmMacniel@feddit.de 20 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Does the US still don't recognise the ICC btw?

[–] CatOnTheChainWax@lemmy.today 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Us recognizes the ICC, Clinton helped create it and signed on in 1998. He didn't send it to Congress to get it ratified. Conservatives got worked up over it, lots of misinformation got spread like "now the globalists are giving away our justice to foreigners, some court in Germany can charge you with a crime you do in the US, they're trampling on the constitution and destroying America!!! now let me tell you about these super beta plus male enhancement supplements...". Bush pulled us out in 2002. Same year isreal pulled out, and Russia left in 2006. Since then the rhetoric coming from both parties has been " yea it would be a good idea to join, BUT...". right wing think tanks like the Heritage Society constantly churn out garbage about how joining would force us to alter the constitution (which Ireland did with national support in 2017) or that individual us citizens could be "grabbed" by the court and charged. Under the Obama administration the US worked with the court in an Observer role. Trump obviously put sanctions against the ICC prosecutor investigating war crimes during the Iraq war, removed delegate status for ICC reps, and threw his Mcflury at the court steps from his car. The Biden administration states the ICC cannot charge netanyahu, as the lack the jurisdiction. The military service protection act from the bush admin basically gives the president the power to use whatever force necessary to free Americans and allies from the ICC, bans all fed, state, and local governments from cooperating with the ICC, and bans all us based funding to the ICC.

So we helped make it, recognized it till it opened in 2002, and now we don't like it, kinda. There's this whole thing with the treaty of treaties and the statue of Rome and bilateral international agreements with member countries of the ICC that won't cooperate with the courts for us citizens and allies.

[–] refalo@programming.dev 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Sounds a bit like Switzerland where they aren't technically part of the EU but they selectively enforce a good bit of the same rules in their own way.

[–] CatOnTheChainWax@lemmy.today 1 points 6 months ago

Yeah it's pretty similar, the main reason for the US not being a fully signing member seems the government sees no reason as their military courts function in the same capacity with basically the same guidelines and can prosecute genocide and crimes against humanity cases.

[–] livus@kbin.social 10 points 6 months ago

Well, put it this way, the US still has the American Servicemembers Protection Act in which it authorizes itself for a military invasion of The Hague if the ICC ever tries to indite an American for war crimes.

[–] livus@kbin.social 10 points 6 months ago

Bush pulled us out in 2002.

Her, uh, did a little bit more than that....

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 months ago

Soooo the ICC prosecutor told them to stay in the lane or he'd tell them how to deny healthcare and burn books?