Biden says US does not recognise ICC jurisdiction after Netanyahu arrest warrant issued

The United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas, Joe Biden said on Thursday 23 May.

His comments came after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested an arrest warrant against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Khan said in his announcement that he had reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s defence chief, and three Hamas leaders “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

His move has yet to be reviewed by ICC judges who can amend, reject or approve it.

The US is not a member of the court but has supported past prosecutions, including the ICC’s decision last year to issue an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.