Sen. Lindsey Graham issued a strong warning to foreign nations Friday following the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Graham addressed the ICC’s move, which accused Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hannity asked Graham about the implications of the arrest warrants.
“If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and enforce their arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation,” Graham declared. “You’re going to have to pick the rogue ICC versus America. I’m working with [Senator] Tom Cotton 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 continued.
Hannity pressed Graham on what penalties should follow if a nation complied with the ICC’s arrest orders. Graham responded, “We should crush your economy.”
The ICC alleges that Netanyahu and Gallant “each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” The court also found “reasonable grounds to believe” they are responsible for “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population,” according to an ICC news release.
Israel contested the ICC’s jurisdiction, arguing that the court has no authority over Israel as it is not a member of the ICC. However, the court claimed jurisdiction under the “territorial jurisdiction of Palestine,” according to Fox News.
Graham sharply criticized the ICC’s assertion, saying, “The court ruled that Gaza is a ‘state.’ No, there is no Palestinian state under international law. So, that’s the first thing they got wrong. And Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court, nor are we.”
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton also condemned the ICC and its prosecutor, Karim Khan. On X, Cotton described the ICC as a “kangaroo court” and called Khan a “deranged fanatic.” He warned against enforcing the arrest warrants, referencing the U.S. law that authorizes military action to free Americans or allies detained by the ICC, known as the “Hague Invasion Act.”
“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic,” Cotton wrote. “Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it.”
