Democrats Block Bill to Impose Sanctions on International Criminal Court Officials

A bill to impose sanctions on officials affiliated with the International Criminal Court stalled in the Senate on Tuesday after Democrats refused to back it, a setback for legislation that aims to rebuke the court for its top prosecutor’s decision to bring war crimes charges against top Israeli leaders for their military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

The measure, a direct challenge to the tribunal’s existence, now faces an uncertain path in the Senate. The House passed the measure earlier this month with significant bipartisan support, with 45 Democrats joining all Republicans to support it.

On Thursday, the 54-to-45 vote in the Senate left the measure short of the 60 votes needed to advance. All but a single Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposed doing so.

There is significant bipartisan consternation in Washington with the tribunal’s decision in May to prosecute Israeli officials while simultaneously going after the leaders of Hamas, whose deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, started a bloody backlash in the Gaza Strip.

But many Democrats argued that the legislation was far too broad, and could apply not only to a wide range of personnel at the court, but also to American companies working with it.

“As much as I oppose the I.C.C.’s deep bias against Israel and as much as I want to see that institution drastically reformed and reshaped, the bill before us is poorly drafted and deeply problematic,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said on the floor moments before the vote, urging his colleagues to unite in opposition. “It will have many unintended consequences that undermine its primary goal.”