‘Hague Invasion Act’ – US Senator Threatens ICC with Military Force

US Republican Senator Tom Cotton. (Photo: Michael Vadon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46751605)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Cotton invoked the use of a controversial US law known as ‘The Hague Invasion Act’ against the ICC in a post on X.

US Republican Senator Tom Cotton threatened military action against the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, following the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Cotton invoked the use of a controversial US law known as ‘The Hague Invasion Act’ against the ICC in a post on X while ridiculing the international court and ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court and Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic. Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants,” Cotton wrote.

Cotton, a vocal advocate for Israel, received over $237,000 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Israel lobby for his campaign, according to data from the grassroots tool AIPAC Tracker.

“Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it,” the senator also said.

‘The Hague Invasion Act’, officially called the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, was passed in 2002 to protect US figures and partners from ICC prosecution.

The law allows the US president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” – including military force – to free any American or allied personnel detained by the ICC in The Hague.

Bilateral Outrage

US officials denounced the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, calling it a “dangerous” move that undermines Israel’s right to defend itself.

The White House rejected the ICC’s decision in a statement, and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) pledged to impose sanctions on the court in the coming year.

“The ICC’s arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant is outrageous, unlawful, and dangerous,” Thune stated.

“Israel has a right to defend itself, and the ICC’s rogue actions only enable the terrorists who seek to wipe Israel off the map,” he continued.

US President Joe Biden slammed the issuance of arrest warrants as “outrageous”.

In an official statement on Thursday, Biden said that “whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

Several Republican figures also voiced their opposition to the ICC’s decision, launching a fierce campaign of condemnation.

Staggering Death Toll

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,056 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,268 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(PC, MEMO)

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6 Comments

  1. This foolish statement by a usa politician and member of congress just illustrates the madness sweeping america as it declines to insignificance and impotence in every region of the World. As a famous ancient Greek put it, ” Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first drive insain!”

  2. That “Hague Invasion Act” puts the US into conflict with NATO, since both the Netherlands and the US are NATO members. And the NATO Charter was signed well before this “Hague Invasion Act”, so the US is obliged to come to the aid of the Netherlands in its defense if the US invades the Netherlands. I begin to suspect the Russian hackerati are going to have a field day over this.

  3. I think the the time has come to put all these madmen into a safe home for incurables. There is one hope and that is that Trump will enact his isolationist
    instincts and cut the U.S off from from all foreign adventures so we can all feel a bit safer.

  4. Pathetic Zio-Cucks are those American “leaders”. Again, (((who))) runs America?? America is a rotting corpse infected with the Israeloid Virus. America has died so that Israhell may live.

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