WASHINGTON: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that he will work closely with Congress to respond to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the Gaza war.
The development comes at a time when Republicans have called for U.S. sanctions against court officials.
Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Blinken termed the move as profoundly wrong-headed saying that it would complicate the prospects of reaching a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan on Monday said he had solid grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s defense chief, and three Hamas leaders were responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Both President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and his political opponents have denounced Khan’s announcement, saying the court does not have jurisdiction over the Gaza conflict.
The United States is not a member of the court but has supported its past prosecutions, including the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
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“We’ll be happy to work with Congress, with this committee, on an appropriate response” to the ICC move, Blinken said.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in a later hearing, told Blinken he hoped to work together with Biden administration to express opposition of the US to the ICC prosecutor.
Graham said that the US must impose sanctions against the ICC for this outrage.
Republican members of Congress have already threatened to impose sanctions on the ICC, but the move cannot become law without support from President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats, who control the Senate.
