Twelve Republican Senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), addressed a letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan warning him of the consequences the ICC will face if it issues arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Israel's response to the Hamas massacre of October 7, Politico reported.
In the April 24 letter, the Senators wrote that such warrants against Israeli officials would be "illegitimate and lack legal basis."
The letter accused the ICC of "attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors."
"These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy," they stated, adding that the ICC is prohibited from intervening due to Israel's robust judicial system and ability to investigate its own actions.
“Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States,” they wrote.
"You have been warned," the Senators warned.
On Friday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Khan's office condemned any attempts to intimidate the court from carrying out its duties, likely in response to US and Israeli statements criticizing possible ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza.
The Biden Administration has warned that a decision by the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Israelis for fear that such a move would torpedo efforts to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.