“Passing this bill sends a strong message that America will not tolerate the ICC’s lawfare against Israel. If the ICC attacks America or its allies, the consequences will be swift, serious, and severe.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke in strong support of a bipartisan bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its biased and unjust legal actions against Israel.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:

“Criminals in the world today have an international friend. It’s called the International Criminal Court.

“The ICC is headquartered in Europe. It claims unchecked power to enforce loosely-defined international law. Its prosecutors are unaccountable.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court. The U.S. did not ratify the ICC Treaty. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of the ICC. The so-called Court does Iran’s bidding.

“It has never issued arrest warrants for the leaders of Iran.

“It has never tried to prosecute Bashar al-Assad, the former dictator of Syria.

“The ICC embraces the legal fiction and the moral fraud that Israel violates human rights, that sovereignty doesn’t matter, and that Israel has no right to defend itself.

“Last year, we saw the ICC issue an unjust and unlawful arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s former defense minister was also targeted.

“The charges the ICC brought are biased and baseless. The ICC says Israel has committed ‘crimes against humanity.’ It says the Jewish State is intentionally starving and targeting civilians. It says Prime Minister Netanyahu is a ‘war criminal.’

“Those are absurd and inaccurate claims.

“Here are the facts.

“Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7, 2023, was the deadliest single day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

“Israel has a fundamental right to defend itself. America stands with the people of Israel.

“Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit civilian casualties. Hamas deliberately hid behind civilians. Hamas uses innocent people as human shields.

“Israel has allowed hundreds of thousands of tons of food into Gaza. When the food does not reach civilians, it is because Hamas steals it first.

“Israel is not a member of the ICC. The court has no jurisdiction over it. Israel is a democracy. Israel’s judiciary is robust and independent.

“The ICC is deaf to these facts. It lives in an anti-Israel echo chamber.
“Because of this prejudice against Israel, the ICC has also attacked Israel’s allies.

“In 2020, the ICC started to investigate American service members in Afghanistan for alleged war crimes.

“President Trump responded swiftly and strongly. He froze the assets of ICC officials who were involved in the corrupt investigation. He also imposed visa restrictions on ICC officials and their families.

“Former President Biden wrongly and weakly overturned these sanctions. President Trump restored the sanctions on his first day back in office last week.

“Today, the Senate will hold a critical vote on a bipartisan bill to hold the International Criminal Court accountable. Senator Jim Risch of Idaho and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas have been leaders on this issue here in the Senate.

“Under this bill, any ICC official, employee, or associate who works to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute American citizens or our allies will face immediate sanctions.

“This bill also blocks U.S. funding from ICC. Every penny.

“Critically, it ensures American taxpayers are not contributing their hard-earned money to a foreign institution that attacks our service members.

“Passing this bill sends a strong message that America will not tolerate the ICC’s lawfare against Israel. If the ICC attacks America or its allies, the consequences will be swift, serious, and severe.

“This is about more than Israel. The ICC also threatens America’s safety, security, and sovereignty.

“Like Israel, America is not a member of the ICC. While Israel is the target today, the ICC could target America’s service members, or even our leaders, in the future.

“The House of Representatives passed legislation to sanction the ICC several times. Its bipartisan support continues to grow stronger. And a majority of Americans support congressional efforts to sanction the ICC.
“The most recent vote in the House was 243 in favor and only 140 against. 45 House Democrats voted for it.

“The Senate could have passed ICC sanctions last Congress. The Democrat Leader chose to drag his feet instead. He blocked it from coming to the floor. He refused to even debate it.

“This Congress, Senate Republicans have made strengthening our alliance with Israel a top priority. Republicans cannot sit back and allow a kangaroo court to wage lawfare against American citizens or American allies.

“The Senate will not bend to the pro-Hamas crowd. We will stand with Israel in the face of antisemitism and evil. Period.

“Will Senate Democrats?”

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