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January 29, 2025

Senate Democrats block International Criminal Court sanctions bill after Netanyahu warrant

America's GOP was trying to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials as punishment for issuing arrest warrants against top Israeli officials, but Democrats in this country have thrown a serious wrench into those plans.

CNN is reporting that Senate Democrats voted on January 28 to filibuster a GOP-led bill that would have sanctioned the officials responsible for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a senior Hamas official, accusing all three of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel.

Netanyahu's office dismissed the warrant against him as "absurd and antisemitic."

Republicans in America appeared to agree with Netanyahu's sentiment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune blasted the court's decision to make a "moral equivalency" between the leaders of Israel and Hamas.

CNN reports that Democrats were unsure how to handle the bill that would have sanctioned the court officials because they realized that any opposition to the bill would be portrayed as "antisemitic," an accusation that plagued them throughout the 2024 election cycle.

In the end, the only Democrat to cross the aisle and vote for the bill was Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, meaning that the bill fell six votes short of the 60 needed to advance. The final tally was 54-45 in favor of the bill, but Republicans needed more.

"I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to vote for this and support Israel," John Fetterman said about his Democratic colleagues.

Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat up for reelection in Georgia, did not vote on the issue.

Two surprising "no" votes were Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona. Those two voted for the same measure last year when they were in the house.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire was tasked with trying to find a compromise with Republicans on the bill but was unable to do so.

Those talks ultimately broke down, and Shaheen voted no with most of her liberal colleagues.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the floor moments before the vote and accused the bill of being "poorly drafted and deeply troublesome."

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