A bill that sanctions the International Criminal Court (ICC) was approved by the US House of Representatives on Thursday in response to arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Al Jazeera.

With a vote of 243 to 140, the "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act" measure was approved, demonstrating the broad support for Israel. Al Jazeera reports that 198 Republicans and 45 Democrats supported the bill, with no Republican opposing it. Now, the Senate, controlled by Republicans, will debate the bill. "America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel," according to Al Jazeera, quoting Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Representative Brian Mast.

According to Al Jazeera, the proposed sanctions are directed at any person or organisation that assists the ICC in its attempt to look into, detain, or bring charges against US nationals or citizens of allies that do not acknowledge the authority of the court. Assets will be frozen and visas would be denied to anyone who supports the ICC's activities. In May 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, alleging war crimes connected to the ongoing combat in Gaza that has resulted in a high death toll. Legislators in the US have responded by calling for action against the ICC and the bill is currently awaiting Senate approval.

Human rights organisations have criticised the measure, claiming that the bill could damage international efforts for justice and undercut an independent judicial institution. The Senate is anticipated to move swiftly in spite of this, enabling President-elect Donald Trump to sign the package into law as soon as he assumes office. In 2020, during his first term as president, Trump placed sanctions on high-ranking officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) because the court was looking into US actions in Afghanistan and Israel's activities in Palestinian territories. Later, President Biden lifted these sanctions. The ICC is a permanent court with the power to bring charges against people for crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. It is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The ICC has been looking into crimes committed by both Israeli and Hamas officials since 2019. Palestine joined the court in 2015. The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed on the territory of any member state, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator, despite Israel's non-membership. The US supported the International Criminal Court (ICC), in some cases, when the court's prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Similar to the US and Israel, Russia is also not a member of the ICC.