Human rights groups are urging US President Joe Biden’s administration to oppose threats against the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its chief prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli officials drew ire in Washington.
In a letter to Biden that was made public on Thursday, more than 100 organisations from around the world called on the US government to “oppose any legislative efforts to undermine the ICC”.
“The ability of the ICC to provide justice for victims requires full respect for its independence. A selective approach to judicial decisions undermines the credibility, and ultimately, the force of the law as a shield against human rights violations and abuses,” the letter reads.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights were among the signatories.
The letter was sent days after ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Monday that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as well as three senior Hamas officials.
Khan accused the Israeli leaders of bearing “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 35,500 Palestinians since early October.
Those alleged crimes include intentional attacks against civilians, willful killings and starvation of civilians as a weapon of war, Khan said.
The announcement drew immediate anger from pro-Israel lawmakers from both the US Democratic and Republican parties, including Biden himself, who called Khan’s decision “outrageous”.
Some Republicans have gone further and have called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would impose sanctions on ICC officials in response to the arrest warrant requests.
“It is imperative that the Senate, in a bipartisan way, comes up with crippling sanctions against the ICC – not only to support Israel but to deter…
Original from www.aljazeera.com