PrairiePundit

Red State: ... The ICC has  already suffered some fallout  for its prosecutors from the U.S., including for the Hague-based international justice body's lead lawyer: (emphasis added) The US has already sanctioned the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, because of his role in pursuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Those sanctions have led Khan to  lose access to his email and his bank accounts have been frozen , the Associated Press reported earlier this month.  That's a shame, isn't it? We were just getting warmed up, though. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn't mince words in his announcement of U.S. sanctions being imposed against four additional judges on the ICC who savaged both our nation's troops on the battlefield and leaders of our ally, Israel: The post continued, with the secretary writing that the second "attack" requiring correction was by "two [judges] who authorized the ICC’s illegitimate arrest warrants ta...

The Intercept: ...  ... He lifted Biden-era sanctions aimed at curbing Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. He also rescinded a policy that had blocked sanctions against the International Criminal Court, putting those who try to hold the U.S. and its allies accountable for war crimes at risk of a new round of financial penalties.  Within hours of lifting the sanctions, Israeli settlers attacked Jinasfut, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, injuring at least 21 Palestinians and setting fire to homes, cars, a nursery, and workshop, according to village officials. Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military had been raiding homes and mosques, detaining dozens of Palestinians across the occupied territory, including children and journalists. And on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a new military operation into the northern West Bank city of Jenin and an adjoined refugee camp where several Palestinian militant groups are bas...

 Free Beacon: The International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister sparked a flurry of promises from Republican leaders to sanction the court and erode its legitimacy on the world stage. The GOP-controlled House passed a bill earlier this year that would do just that, though Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) blocked it from coming to a vote in the upper chamber. In a matter of weeks, however, Schumer will be in the minority—and Republicans will control both the House and the executive branch. Incoming GOP leaders in the House, Senate, and White House made clear that, come January, the ICC will face sanctions and other punitive measures. "The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government," Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, said in reference to the court's ...

 Newsmax: Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., warned the International Criminal Court on Sunday that the U.S. will impose sanctions if it proceeds with arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials. "If 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," Thune wrote on X. Thune was elected last week by his fellow Republicans to lead the GOP in the upper chamber, taking over from the outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. In June, the House passed a bill to sanction the ICC for requesting arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The vote passed 247-155, with 205 Republicans supporting the measure alongside 42 Democrats. The ICC also sought arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Isra...

 Fox News: South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune on Sunday threatened to slap the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it did not drop its application for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thune – who was selected Wednesday to be the next Senate Majority Leader once the GOP takes the upper chamber come January 2025 – warned that if the current Democratic leader does not take on the international court, he will. "If 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," Thune wrote on X. "If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress." In May, the ICC issued applications for arrest...

 American Defense News: According to a report by The New York Times , the Department of Defense is blocking the Biden administration from sending evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. Military leaders, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, are among those opposed to providing such evidence to the ICC, the international body in charge of prosecuting atrocities and genocide. Pentagon officials reportedly fear it would create precedent for the court to charge United States citizens, which has stood as a redline for policymakers since the court’s inception. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies, the State Department, and Justice Department have all shown support for evidence sharing. Atrocity prevention advocates are speaking out, arguing that the Pentagon belied its concerns over the impact of evidence sharing on the prosecution of U.S. citizens, or how the court even operates. Kenneth Roth, the former executive direc...

Washington Free Beacon: The International Criminal Court is working alongside several organizations and individuals tied to terrorism as it seeks to prosecute American and Israeli personnel for war crimes, according to a new report out of Israel. The findings call into question the court's integrity at a time when it is facing international backlash over its pursuit of politically motivated cases. The report—from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), an Israel-based research group headed by a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—concludes that under the leadership of Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, the ICC collaborated with terror-tied groups to pursue charges against American and Israeli military officials it claims are guilty of committing war crimes against civilians, including in Afghanistan and Palestinian territories. The cases originated with complaints filed to the court by two nonprofit advocacy groups with ties to terrorism. In its report, ...

NY Times: U.S. Attack on I.C.C. Is Seen as Bolstering World’s Despots John R. Bolton’s critique of the International Criminal Court echoes criticisms from dictators and threatens the future of the court, the U.N.’s war-crimes prosecution mechanism. Bolton was right to criticize the court which has strayed from its original mission to deal with despots and decided to be used by political enemies of the US and Israel.  This diversion from the original mission shows the wisdom of the Bush administration in rejecting its jurisdiction as did Israel.  The court has no jurisdiction over US operation or those of Israel.  Its attempt to assert jurisdiction prompted the well deserved rebuke.

Washington Times: National Security Adviser John R. Bolton said Monday the United States has dismissed the International Criminal Court as “illegitimate” and it will sanction the organization’s judges if they pursue an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by American soldiers and intelligence officials in Afghanistan. The announcement came from Mr. Bolton during a speech to the Federalist Society at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. “We will not cooperate with the ICC,” Mr. Bolton said. “We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.” A favorite of Washington’s conservative establishment for his hawkish stance on thorny global issues, Mr. Bolton used his first major address since joining the Trump White House in April to blast what he called a “super-national independent institution” that functions with “unchecked powers” with “no che...

NY Times: Palestine Joins Hague Criminal Court, Risking U.S. Sanctions President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority signed papers to join the International Criminal Court and 16 other organizations, a move that could bring harsh sanctions from the U.S. and Israel. Hamas can now be tried for its obvious war crimes.  That should be no small thing.

Sunday Telegraph: At a special "review conference" in Kampala, Uganda, the nations which have signed up to the court, including Britain, will consider a proposal to let the court try the "crime of aggression" - the offence allegedly committed by Tony Blair. If the proposal, backed by more than 70 countries, passes, national leaders alleged to have launched "illegal" wars could be seized, transported to the Hague, tried and imprisoned. UK law requires British police to enforce indictments and arrest warrants issued by the court. Britain, a member of the court, is not against the plan in principle but is fighting furiously for safeguards that would protect Mr Blair and future British prime ministers from arrest. John Washburn, convenor of AMICC, an umbrella body of non-governmental organisations interested in the court, said: "This will be one of the major items on the agenda in Kampala and it is almost certain t...

Daniel Schwammenthal: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed "great regret" in August that the U.S. is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This has fueled speculation that the Obama administration may reverse another Bush policy and sign up for what could lead to the trial of Americans for war crimes in The Hague. The ICC's chief prosecutor, though, has no intention of waiting for Washington to submit to the court's authority. Luis Moreno Ocampo says he already has jurisdiction—at least with respect to Afghanistan. Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute—the ICC's founding treaty—all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC's oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a "preliminary examination" into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock. "We have to check ...

Opinion Journal: Here's the match-up. In the right corner we have Omar al-Bashir, for 20 years the Islamist dictator of Sudan and the man most responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of Darfuris. In the left corner we have six former Bush Administration officials who were given the task after September 11 of formulating America's response to the atrocities. Who do you think is in the greatest legal jeopardy? This should be easy: Mr. Bashir was recently issued with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for "crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur." More specifically, the court's prosecutor alleges that Mr. Bashir "masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity." Yet thanks to the concept of "universal jurisdiction" (or "universal competence") the six Americans, including former Attorney Genera...

Independent: Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir visited Eritrea yesterday in a cautious first step outside his country since a warrant for his arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this month. If the move was calculated to show defiance of the international community, the choice of one of Africa's most isolated countries also communicated the unease in Khartoum over the outstanding warrant. The visit, ostensibly to discuss regional security, was also a means of gauging Mr Bashir's support outside Sudan ahead of a much higher profile expected trip later this month to the Arab summit in Qatar, diplomats said. Fouad Hikmat, an analyst from the International Crisis Group in Nairobi, said: "This is like an internal trip for him, just to show the ICC, 'look I can travel' because no one is going to say anything to Eritrea. The real question is whether he will be able to cross international air space to visit Qatar." On Sunday, Suda...

From Fox News: U.N.: Sudan's Ban on Aid May Be War Crime But it just shows how impotent that the UN and ICC are that they are left to add another count to Bashir's indictment, rather than do something effective.