Weekly Column: From The Mailbag--The International Criminal Court

Idahoans contact me regularly with valuable input about the issues our country faces.  H.R. 23, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, is one piece of legislation Idahoans have contacted me about in recent weeks, and the following is my response:

On May 20, 2024, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, requested arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the leaders of Hamas.  Neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the ICC, which does not have the jurisdiction to conduct such an investigation.  The ICC applying for warrants for Hamas and Israeli officials at the same time indicates a false equivalency between their actions, and I oppose any efforts by the ICC to arrest Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other Israeli officials. 

Last year, I joined my colleagues in the Senate in introducing the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act.  This legislation imposes sanctions on all individuals associated with the ICC who seek to bring politicized retribution against the U.S. and its allies, including Israel.  This measure was reintroduced for the 119^th Congress and considered by the U.S. Senate on January 28, 2025.  Fellow U.S. Senator for Idaho Jim Risch and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led the effort to pass the legislation.  Unfortunately, while this legislation had bipartisan support, it failed to pass the Senate due to lack of support by the majority of Senate Democrats.  However, I will continue working with my colleagues to bring an end to the misconduct of the ICC.

While I support bringing international criminals to justice, I do not support political operations that attempt to supersede our nation’s sovereignty.  As the U.S. is not a party of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, there is currently no financial obligation to direct funds to the ICC. 

Israel has been and continues to be one of the most important allies for the U.S. in an increasingly unstable and dangerous region, and continued support of Israel is vital to our national security.  I have been a longtime advocate in Congress for Israel’s right to defend itself from existential threats from terrorist organizations and state sponsors of terrorism.  I will continue to support Israel and demand that all hostages are released by Hamas.

Realizing many Idahoans may not have the chance to contact me, I post information about issues of importance on my website, at http://crapo.senate.gov, as well as news releases, information about accessing my Facebook and YouTube pages and following me on Twitter and Instagram.  Resources to assist Idahoans who need help with federal agencies and how to contact me are also on the website and as follows:

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Phone: (208) 334-1776

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• Washington, D.C.

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Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: (202) 224-6142

Fax: (202) 228-1375

The messages you send me help shape my approach on a number of important matters.  Please continue to contact me and share your thoughts and ideas. 

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