US officials have repeatedly said they “firmly oppose” the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
A CNN asked the White House and State Department for comment on Monday's announcement that the ICC's chief prosecutor sought war crimes warrants for Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, because of the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The State Department did not immediately respond.
The warrant requests against Israeli politicians mark the first time the ICC has targeted the top leader of a close US ally.
When an initial investigation was launched in March, the State Department said in a statement: “Israel is not a party to the ICC and has not consented to the Court's jurisdiction, and we have serious concerns about the ICC's attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over officials of Israel.”
“The Palestinians do not qualify as a sovereign state and, therefore, are not qualified to obtain statehood, participate as a state or delegate jurisdiction to the ICC,” he added.
State Department officials have reiterated this opposition in recent weeks.
“We were very clear about the ICC investigation. We do not support this. We don't believe they have jurisdiction. And I’ll leave it at that for now,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in April.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller said he could not “make any predictions or announcements” when asked whether the Biden administration would sanction senior ICC officials if they pursued Israel charges.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
