US Republican senators threaten ICC prosecutor over arrest warrant against Netanyahu

Republican senators in the US Congress have threatened the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan KC, with “personally targeting him, his family, and his court staff” to deter him from issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior military officers, Al-Quds Al-Arabi has reported.

According to the Zeteo website, launched in US recently by British American journalist Mehdi Hassan, a letter was sent by 12 members of Congress in which they warned Khan of heavy sanctions if he dared to issue arrest warrants against the Israeli occupation leadership.

The letter was obtained by the website and is said to have been sent on 24 April. The signatories said that if the ICC issues arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, it will be viewed as a threat not only to Israel’s sovereignty, but also to the sovereignty of the United States, leading to heavy sanctions.

The senators threatened the British lawyer by saying, “If you target Israel, we will target you.” They also threatened to impose sanctions on Khan’s staff and associates, and to ban the prosecutor and his family from entering the United States.

The signatories concluded with the ominous phrase, “You have been warned.”

READ: Belgium: minister calls on European countries to stop arms exports to Israel