WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Tuesday that would sanction the International Criminal Court for requesting arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The 247-155 vote amounts to Congress’ first legislative rebuke of the war crimes court since its decision last month to seek arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel and Hamas.
While the House bill was expected to pass Tuesday, it managed to attract only modest Democratic support, despite an outpouring of outrage at the court’s decision, dulling its chances in the Senate. The White House opposes the legislation, calling it overreach.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said ground troops backed by airstrikes launched an operation Tuesday in central Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp.
The military waged an offensive this year for several weeks in Bureij and other nearby refugee camps.
Troops pulled out of the Jabaliya camp in northern Gaza on Friday after weeks of fighting caused widespread destruction. First responders said they recovered the bodies of 360 people.
