Actor George Clooney reportedly expressed his discontent with President Biden’s criticism of the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a case in which Clooney’s wife, Amal Clooney, was involved. Clooney reportedly contacted a top Biden aide to push back against the president’s dismissal of the ICC warrants.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced in May that he was seeking to charge Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and several Hamas leaders with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Khan consulted with a panel of legal experts, including Amal Clooney, before seeking the warrants.
Biden subsequently condemned the ICC’s decision, stating that there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. The Biden administration initially considered sanctions against the ICC, which raised concerns for Amal Clooney and her potential exposure to penalties.
The situation comes ahead of Clooney’s scheduled appearance at a Biden re-election fundraiser. The actor, a major supporter of Biden, is expected to attend the event on June 15 in Los Angeles.
The legal bar for approving ICC arrest warrants is relatively low. Judges need only find “reasonable grounds to believe” that the alleged crimes were committed. In the past, judges have generally approved such requests.
The latest Gaza war began in October 2023, when Hamas-led militants crossed into Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostages. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza alleges that Israel’s military has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since October. Israel disputes these figures and accuses Hamas of operating in heavily populated civilian areas.
The ICC’s investigation and the Biden administration’s response have drawn mixed reactions. Some have praised the ICC for pursuing accountability for alleged war crimes, while others have criticized the court for targeting Israel while ignoring alleged crimes committed by Hamas and other non-state actors.
