President Joe Biden has strongly criticized the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas officials for actions in Gaza, calling the application “outrageous.”
Biden firmly aligned with Israel following the announcement by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who is pursuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The prosecutor is also targeting three senior Hamas figures: Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, regarding Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 of the previous year.
Biden’s remarks came in response to the ICC’s decision, marking one of his most vocal defenses of Israel in recent months.
He accused the ICC of falsely equating Israel with Hamas, an Islamist militant group governing Gaza since 2006.
“The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” Biden stated.
“And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
Reiterating his stance during the Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at the White House, Biden emphasized, “I will always ensure that Israel has everything it needs to defend itself against Hamas and all its enemies.
We want Hamas to be defeated.”
Acknowledging the civilian casualties in Gaza as “heartbreaking,” Biden reaffirmed his administration’s efforts to promote regional unity and a two-state solution while underscoring his opposition to the ICC’s warrants.
“Let me be clear,” he added, “We reject the ICC’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
Whatever these warrants may imply, there’s no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
What’s happening is not genocide.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden’s sentiments, asserting that the U.S. “fundamentally rejects” the ICC’s decision and warning it could hinder ceasefire efforts.
He accused the ICC of exceeding its jurisdiction.
“The United States has been clear since well before the current conflict that ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter,” Blinken said.
“The ICC was established by its state parties as a court of limited jurisdiction.
Those limits are rooted in principles of complementarity, which do not appear to have been applied here amid the prosecutor’s rush to seek these arrest warrants rather than allowing the Israeli legal system a full and timely opportunity to proceed.”
Germany also supported Israel, with a foreign ministry spokesperson stating: “The simultaneous application for arrest warrants against the Hamas leaders on the one hand and the two Israeli officials on the other has given the false impression of equivalence.”
Conversely, South Africa praised the ICC’s decision.
A statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office welcomed the move, asserting, “The law must be applied equally to all to uphold the international rule of law, ensure accountability for those that commit heinous crimes, and protect the rights of victims.”
Hamas criticized the ICC’s actions against its leaders, claiming the arrest warrant request “equates the victim with the executioner.”
Similarly, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), typically political rivals to Hamas, condemned the move.
Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the PLO’s executive committee, remarked from Ramallah, “The Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves.”
The ICC’s pursuit of these warrants coincides with a separate case being heard by the International Court of Justice, brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide in its response to the October attack.
Israel has vehemently denied these allegations.
Biden’s unwavering support for Israel comes after weeks of tension between the allies over Israel’s planned offensive against Rafah, a southern Gaza city housing over a million Palestinians seeking refuge.
Biden recently stated he would withhold U.S. weapons from Israel if Netanyahu proceeded with a major invasion of Rafah.
Since Israel launched its military offensive following Hamas’s attack last October, over 35,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, have been killed, while the initial attack left 1,200 Israelis dead and another 250 taken hostage.
