Biden denounces ICC for ‘outrageous’ implication of equivalence between Israel and Hamas Anchorage

The Biden administration on Monday forcefully denounced efforts by the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants for top Israeli officials and Hamas leaders, saying the court’s efforts put the terrorist organization and a top US ally on equivalent footing.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on Monday that the international tribunal is seeking arrest warrants for officials including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their respective roles in the October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead.

The prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, along with top Hamas leaders, Khan said.

In a statement Monday, Biden called the ICC’s efforts “outrageous.”

“Let me be clear,” the president said in the statement, “whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.”

Speaking at a White House reception marking Jewish American Heritage Month later Monday, Biden reiterated his stance that the ICC’s pursuit of an arrest warrant is without merit.

“It’s clear Israel wants to do all it can to ensure civilian protection,” Biden said. “Let me be clear: What’s happening is not genocide.”

Khan’s pursuit of the warrants gave Biden – a longtime supporter of Israel and its right to exist – a chance to speak strongly in favor of the US’ top Middle Eastern ally at a time of tense relations between the president and Israeli leadership. In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett earlier this month, Biden put conditions on US aid to Israel for the first time over Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza. Biden has also had multiple frank phone calls with the Israeli prime minister in recent months as he tries to cajole Netanyahu into pursuing options that don’t involve a military operation in a population center.

The announcement marks the first time that the ICC has sought an arrest warrant for the leader of a top US ally, and places Netanyahu in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the late Libyan despot Moammar Gadhafi – both of whom were subjects of arrest efforts by the ICC.

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