U.S. Senate Blocks Sanction Bill Targeting ICC Over Netanyahu Arrest Warrants

The U.S. Senate blocked a bill to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu. The vote fell short of the needed 60 votes. Democrats opposed it, deeming it too broad and potentially harmful to U.S. interests.

The U.S. Senate has blocked a proposed bill aimed at sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC), in response to arrest warrants it issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister. The bill was defeated in a 54-45 vote, falling short of the 60 needed to advance.

Voting largely followed party lines with most Democrats and independents opposing it. Senator John Fetterman was the sole Democrat supporting the Republicans on this matter, while Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff abstained from voting.

Although the measure passed the House of Representatives earlier, many Democrats in the Senate felt it was overly broad and could compromise U.S. relationships with key allies and even U.S. companies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the ICC's perceived bias but argued the bill's design was flawed.

(With inputs from agencies.)