U.S. House passes bill to sanction ICC, Poland announces protection for Netanyahu
In another move confirming the complicity of the U.S. and its allies in the Israeli war crimes, the U.S. Congress passed a Bill seeking sanctions against the International Criminal Court while Poland says there is no bar for Netanyahu from visiting the country despite ICC warrant
[Pro-Palestine and anti-Israel protests were held in a number of countries including Tunisia and Morocco Friday January 10, 2025.]
Washington/Warsaw: In another move confirming the complicity of the U.S. and its allies in the Israeli war crimes, the U.S. Congress passed a Bill seeking sanctions against the International Criminal Court while Poland says there is no bar for Netanyahu from visiting the country despite ICC warrant.
Poland had earlier said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested if he visited the country to attend the ceremonies on January 27 marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland.
The Polish government however Thursday adopted a resolution promising that senior Israeli officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, can freely travel to Poland for the ceremonies.
“The Polish government treats the safe participation of the leaders of Israel in the commemorations on January 27, 2025, as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich,” read the resolution, published by the office of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The UN court had issued arrest warrant against Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant accusing them of committing war crimes in Gaza.
The EU country’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, told newspaper Rzeczpospolita that Poland, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, is obligated to comply with the directives of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
However, following the Polish government resolution Netanyahu is now free to visit Poland.
U.S. Congress seeks sanctions against ICC
The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday passed a resolution seeking sanctions against the UN Court for issuing warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The legislation called the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act", passed 243 to 140, seeks to penalise anyone aiding the ICC in investigating, arresting, or prosecuting US citizens or citizens of allied nations that reject the court’s jurisdiction.
Sanctions include freezing assets and denying visas to those involved.
Representative Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also mocked the ICC describing it a “kangaroo court”.
Brain also accused the World Court of "unfairly targeting" Israel, a key US ally, according to Al Jazeera.
In a related development, New York University suspended nearly a dozen students for a year for participating in non-violent, anti-war protests for Gaza last month, the university's chapter of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (NYU FSJP) stated.
Senate must reject the Bill: UN
The United Nations meanwhile urged the U.S. Senate to reject the Bill called "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act" passed by the Congress.
Three experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council - Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, said they were dismayed by the passage of an Act in the US House of Representatives.
“It is shocking to see a country that considers itself a champion of the rule of law trying to stymie the actions of an independent and impartial tribunal set up by the international community, to thwart accountability,” the UN experts said.
“Threats against the ICC promote a culture of impunity. They make a mockery of the decades-long quest to place law above force and atrocity,” they warned.
The experts have also written to the US authorities about their concerns.
The ICC was established under a 1998 treaty known as the Rome Statute. The US is not a party to the statute, along with dozens of other nations, but 125 countries are members of the Court.
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