Democrats reject bill to sanction ICC over Israel

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US Senate democrats blocked the advancement of legislation that sought to impose sanctions on individuals involved with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecuting Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes,  The New Arab via Reuters reported on January 29th.

The bill failed to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to advance, with a final vote of 54 in favour and 45 against.

John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to support the advancement. In the wake of the vote, Fetterman expressed his discontent on social media. “Deeply disappointed by the outcome of the ICC sanctions bill,” he said, adding, “my vote follows Israel—not the ICC that equivocated the democratically elected leader of our special ally to the terrorists and rapists of Hamas.”

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The vote occurred just days into Donald Trump’s second presidential term. Trump had campaigned on a tough stance regarding Palestinians, advocating for the relocation of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt and threatening to deport pro-Palestinian protesters from the US.

But earlier in January, a similar bill was more popular among House democrats before Trump’s inauguration. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York criticised the the bill, labelling it “poorly drafted and deeply troublesome.” Schumer noted that Republican sponsors had refused to accept minor revisions that could have garnered Democratic support.

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The New Arab via Reuters

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