Davis votes to sanction International Criminal Court

U.S. Rep. Don Davis voted Tuesday to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court over its decision to prosecute Israel for its conduct in the nation’s ongoing war with Hamas.

H.R. 8282, titled the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, passed the House on a 247-155 roll-call vote. Davis, D-Snow Hill, was among 42 congressional Democrats who supported the legislation.

“We must stand with our democratic allies around the world as they face threats from terrorists and state sponsors of terror,” Davis said in a news release. “Attempts by international courts to punish our allies for defending their very existence distract us from the true threats to our national security. In these challenging times, the free world must always stand together, united and strong, against those who seek to undermine our shared values and freedoms.”

On May 20, ICC prosecutor Karim A.A. Kahn announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing the leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kahn also sought arrest warrants for Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commander-in-chief of the group’s military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, who leads Hamas’ political bureau.

Hamas killed more than 1,100 people in the Oct. 7 terror attack that led to Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip. The war in Gaza has claimed an estimated 36,000 lives.

Israel has faced mounting international criticism over civilian casualties and famine among displaced Palestinians. Israeli leaders fault Hamas for using human shields and hiding weapons stockpiles near schools and hospitals.

Like the United States, Israel has not ratified the “Rome statute” that established the International Criminal Court and declines to recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.

The court admitted Palestine as a member in 2015, three years after the United Nations designated Palestine a “non-member observer state.” American diplomats say a negotiated peace process with Israel is the only sustainable path to Palestinian statehood.

While the ICC can’t serve its arrest warrants inside Israel, analysts say the prosecution could complicate international travel for Netanyahu and Gallant, who could face detention if they visit ICC member countries.

Davis has been a consistent supporter of the U.S.-Israel alliance. A member of the House Abraham Accords Caucus, he toured the Kfar Aza Kibbutz during a visit to Israel last August. Hamas terrorists slaughtered thousands of civilians at the kibbutz on Oct. 7.

A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, Davis serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is vice ranking member of the panel’s Readiness Subcommittee.

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