Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma recently expressed his support for Israel during a floor event in Washington, D.C. As the Republican Conference Vice Chair and co-chair of both the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus and the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, Lankford delivered remarks criticizing actions by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and some of his Democratic colleagues.
Lankford highlighted a situation where the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant amid ongoing conflict. He stated, "Israel just wants to live in peace... But instead, the International Criminal Court released arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and for Yoav Gallant, the now former defense minister, for trying to defend their country from terrorism."
He criticized Democratic senators for blocking a bill that aimed to impose sanctions on individuals associated with the ICC. According to Lankford, "It was a very simple, straightforward bill... But when it came here to the United States Senate, my Democratic colleagues shrugged and said ‘no.’"
The bill had previously passed through the House of Representatives with significant bipartisan support. Lankford also voiced confidence in potential future actions by former President Trump's administration regarding sanctions against the ICC: "The Trump Administration, I’m confident, will speak out with sanctions against the International Criminal Court."
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