Biden’s Secretary of State Blinken Signals Administration Will Support Push to Sanction the ICCBlinken’s openness to bipartisan cooperation over the ICC shows Washington’s anger over its request for arrest warrants.

Congressional fury over the International Criminal Court’s call for arresting Israeli leaders, as well as those of Hamas, could have the support of the Biden administration, which in its early days removed sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

On Monday, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said he wanted arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three senior Hamas leaders, according to Axios.

“In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday, according to CNN.

Republicans have indicated they are willing to bring Democrats on board.

“I am talking with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and with the administration to see if there could be bipartisan support for an ICC sanctions bill,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said in response, according to Axios.

Trending:

Hollywood Star’s Wife Played Key Role in International Criminal Court’s Arrest Warrant for Israeli Leaders

On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Biden administration needs to get on board.

“I want to take actions, not just words,” Graham said, according to RTE.

Should America sanction the ICC?

“Will you support the bipartisan effort to sanction the ICC, not only for the outrage against Israel but to protect in the future our own interest?” he said.

“I welcome working with you on that,” Blinken said.

“Given the events of yesterday, I think we have to look at the appropriate steps to take to deal with again, what is a profoundly wrongheaded decision,” Blinken said, according to CNN.

The ICC crossed swords with the Trump administration in 2020 when it kicked off an investigation into whether Americans committed war crimes in Afghanistan, according to Reuters.

In response, the Trump administration hit ICC officials with asset freezes and travel bans.

Related:

Ted Cruz Goes Off on Blinken During Hearing, Makes Bombshell Accusation Against Biden Admin: ‘You Funded Our Enemies’

President Joe Biden ended the sanctions in April 2021, at which time Blinken called them “inappropriate.”

In a Tuesday interview on ABC, Netanyahu rejected the allegations, in which Khan claimed Israel was intentionally starving civilians, causing great suffering and committing “inhumane acts.”

“We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy,” Khan said in a statement. “These crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day.”

Netanyahu said Khan has it wrong.

“We are supplying now nearly half of the water of Gaza. We supplied only 7 percent before the war. This is completely opposite of what he’s saying. He’s saying we’re starving people?” Netanyahu said. “We have supplied half million tons of food and medicine with 20,000 trucks. This guy is out to demonize Israel. He’s doing a hit job.”

He said Israel’s policy is “to allow maximum humanitarian aid to get people out of harm’s way, while Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way at gunpoint.”

Netanyahu said a good life for the people of Gaza only comes when Hamas is defeated.

“There is peace and stability and prosperity only through victory. The road to peace goes through victory over Hamas,” he said.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

 

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

 

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

 

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal



Source link