Sen. Graham: If You Cooperate with ICC Warrants the US Will Crush your Economy

Photo Credit: US Embassy Jerusalem

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) with PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the Golan Heights, March 11, 2019.

In a sharp rebuke to the International Criminal Court, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Friday issued a stark warning to US allies that any attempt to enforce the arrest warrant issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would result in severe economic consequences.

“If you try to enforce it, the United States will crush your economy,” Sen. Graham said.

Several nations, including key US allies such as Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Lithuania, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Turkey, Jordan, Norway, and Sweden, have signaled their willingness to comply with or consider enforcing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants.

On May 21, immediately following ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s announcement of the warrants which the court has now embraced, Senators Graham, Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and John Thune (R-South Dakota) issued the following statement:

“These actions by the ICC jeopardize efforts to bring about sustainable peace in the Middle East.  It puts at risk sensitive negotiations to bring home hostages, including Americans, and surge humanitarian assistance.

“The application for arrest warrants also draws a false equivalence between Israel with its longstanding commitment to the rule of law and Hamas’ theocratic, autocratic, and unaccountable rule over Gaza. To state the obvious: Israel is a functioning democracy, while Hamas is a terrorist organization.

“Representatives of the ICC were supposed to be in Israel today to set up meetings between Israeli officials and ICC Prosecutor Khan’s team next week to discuss allegations and concerns. This was a process we encouraged, as it is consistent with the principle of complementarity.

“The ICC’s precipitous action in applying for arrest warrants in this instance runs contrary to the promotion of the rule of law globally; Israel has a long history as a functioning democracy, with an independent judiciary and military justice system. We have great confidence in the Israeli judicial system’s ability to administer justice. The principle of complementarity should be honored, allowing a nation’s legal system to act first.”

In a fiery interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, fiercely criticized the International Criminal Court’s recent actions, vowing retaliation against nations that cooperate with the court’s arrest warrants for PM Netanyahu.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Israel. Aug. 31, 2015. / Amos Ben Gershon/GPO

“If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and force the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation. You’re going to have to pick the rogue ICC versus America. I’m working with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) to have legislation passed as soon as we can to sanction any country that aids and abets the arrest of any politician in Israel. So, to any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you,” Graham said.

Sen. Cotton issued a stark warning, invoking the 2002 Hague Invasion Act which gives the US President the power to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any US or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court.”

“Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. The American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it,” the Senator from Arkansas tweeted.