Sen. Graham Warns: US Will 'Crush' Economies of Those Helping ICC

Sen. Lindsey Graham is warning that the United States will "crush" the economies of any of its allies that attempt to enforce the International Criminal Court's warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

"If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and force the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation," the South Carolina Republican told Fox News's Sean Hannity Friday. "You're going to have to pick the rogue ICC versus America."

The ICC's warrants accuse Netanyahu and Gallant of committing the war crime of starvation, as well as crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts against Hamas after the Iranian-backed group's terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Graham warned that any other country enforcing the warrant, including close U.S. ally Canada, will face repercussions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would enforce the ICC warrant should Netanyahu visit.

"We stand for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts,” Trudeau said, reports CTV. "This is just who we are as Canadians."

Graham pointed out that the United States is not a member of the ICC because in 2002 it threatened to prosecute U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

"We came down hard on them, and in 2017, one of the first things that President Trump did was put sanctions against the International Criminal Court to make sure they would protect our own troops," said Graham.

However, he noted that President Joe Biden "did away" with the sanctions during his first month in the White House.

"Now what do you have?" Graham said. "You have the International Criminal Court coming after the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister of Israel for trying to defend the Jewish state. If you help the ICC, we're going to crush your economy."

Biden on Thursday condemned the warrants, calling the actions "outrageous."

Graham added that he and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are working to pass legislation "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."

The warrants, in addition to one for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, have caused a diplomatic divide between countries who have said they will comply with the ICC and those who say they will not, reports NBC News.

Several U.S. allies such as the Netherlands, where the court is located, as well as Canada, Switzerland, Ireland, Lithuania, South Africa, Turkey, Jordan, Norway, and Sweden, are saying they'll comply with the warrants or at least are open to them.

Israel and the United States, however, do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, and the court has no police to carry out its warrants, reports NBC.

The ICC's signatories are obliged to carry out arrest warrants, but most governments also follow an international legal principle that deems most heads of state to have legal immunity from other courts.

Hungary has promised not to arrest Netanyahu, with leader Viktor Orban sending a letter to condemn the ICC's warrants and to invite the Israeli leader to a visit, promising to "ensure your safety and freedom."

Cotton, meanwhile, called the ICC a "kangaroo court" on X Thursday and pointed out that the "American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason."

The law, officially known as the American Service-Members' Protection Act, gives the U.S. president legal authority to use "all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court."