JERUSALEM, Israel – The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a pro-Israel bill that would level sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, Israel is grappling with fires in the north sparked by Hezbollah attacks.
The House bill is intended to punish the I.C.C. for its threats to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) stated, “Failing to act here in the Congress would make us complicit with the I.C.C. illegitimate actions. We must not stay silent. We must stand with our allies.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told CBN News that passing the bill sends a strong message that the court can’t target the U.S. and Israel or go after the Israeli prime minister for defending his people.
“They are carrying out the war with, frankly a historic effort to target Hamas without endangering civilians. Civilians are going to obviously, unfortunately, lose their lives in combat, but Israel was attacked. Israel is continuing to be attacked. People forget that, right? They’re getting missiles lobbed into them by the thousands.”
Roy believes Israel is doing its best to minimize casualties.
“I think they’ve sent literally 15-20 million leaflets, pamphlets into Gaza. They’ve sent text messages. They’ve sent voicemail messages. They’ve given two weeks advance notice. Nothing is perfect. It’s war,” he stated.
Few Democrats voted for the bill, arguing it could stop the I.C.C. from doing good things.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) claimed it would “have a chilling effect on the ICC as an institution and hamper the court’s efforts to prosecute serious atrocities that have been perpetrated in many places around the world.”
All House Republicans backed the bill, as their leader, Speaker Mike Johnson, asserted the I.C.C. must be punished.
“The idea that they would issue an arrest warrant for the prime minister of Israel, defense minister of Israel at the time of their fighting for their nation’s very existence against the evil of Hamas as a proxy of Iran is unconscionable to us,” Johnson declared.
Meanwhile, in northern Israel, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah continues to launch rockets at Israelis. Israel Radio reported forest fires started by those rockets and drones over the last few days have claimed twice as many trees as fires during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which lasted 34 days.
Northern Israel last night.
Hezbollah is setting Israel on fire. Israel is fighting an enemy that wants to destroy our nation — we don’t only have the right but the duty to protect our people. pic.twitter.com/rhZfoxsvHz
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) June 4, 2024
Some 80,000 Israelis are still prevented from returning to their homes in northern border communities as the entire area is virtually under siege.
Also, Israel’s N-12 News released chilling audio of a mother and her twin daughters calling for help on October 7th as Palestinian terrorists invaded their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and kidnapped them.
In the recording, one of the little girls says, “There are terrorists outside our home… Mommy, no, don’t die! We are suffocating to death… Mommy, don’t die. Help!”
“Then a terrorist says, “Come. Come with us!”
Wednesday is Jerusalem Day in Israel when citizens celebrate the reunification of the city as a result of Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israelis march with flags along the route paratroopers took 57 years ago through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to the Temple Mount.
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