The court should drop its case against Netanyahu or face Washington\u2019s wrath, Senator John Thune has warned<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The International Criminal Court and its chief prosecutor Karim Khan should be sanctioned by the US if they continue to seek the arrest of Israeli leaders, incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khan announced in May<\/a> that he was looking to press charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders, over \u201ccrimes against humanity\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis,\u201d Thune said on Monday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf Majority Leader [Chuck] Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this \u2013 and other supportive legislation \u2013 a top priority in the next Congress,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, won the internal election for Senate majority leader last week, despite criticism from allies of President-elect Donald Trump that he was too close to the old establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schumer, a New York Democrat, currently presides over the Senate in which his party has a slim majority. The chamber is due to become Republican-led when the newly elected senators are seated in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n