Sen. Graham threatened U.S. allies with sanctions for helping arrest Netanyahu

US allies who tried to help the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may face sanctions. U.S. Congress Senator Lindsey Graham (listed on Russia's list of terrorists and extremists) said on the air of Fox News channel on November 23.

"Any US ally - Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we will impose sanctions against you," TASS quoted him as saying.

Graham emphasized that the US should "destroy the economy" of countries that try to help the ICC with Netanyahu's arrest.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former head of the country's Defense Ministry Yoav Galant on November 21. The decision was made because they are criminally responsible as civilian chiefs "for the war crime of deliberately attacking a civilian population."

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia would not recognize the ICC's decision on Netanyahu and Galant.

In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant would not help end the conflict in the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden called the ICC decision outrageous and noted that the country will always support Israel against threats to its security. Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog also called the ICC's actions unconscionable. He pointed out that the instance turned a blind eye to the 101 Hamas captives in the Gaza Strip. In his opinion, the court chose the side of evil, which turned the organization "into a shield for the crimes of the Islamic movement."

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said the Netherlands is ready to arrest Netanyahu if he arrives in the country. At the same time, Sarah Wagenknecht's Union for Reason and Justice party leader Sarah Wagenknecht called the warrant a slap in the face to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel, as well as invading border areas in the south and taking hostages. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.