Trump's secretary of state pick criticizes ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, during Senate confirmation

Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of severely damaging its credibility and warned that its actions could pose a threat to the US.

"I think the ICC has done tremendous damage to its global credibility," Rubio said, referring to the court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Rubio argued at his Senate confirmation hearing that the ICC's decision to pursue Netanyahu and Gallant set a "dangerous precedent" for sovereign nations, including the US.

"This is a trial run to see if they can go after a head of state from a non-member nation. If successful with Israel, they will apply the same standard to the United States at some point," he said.

Rubio emphasized past threats made by the ICC to investigate US service members, labeling the efforts as "deeply concerning."

"If they don't drop this, (the ICC) will find its credibility globally, badly damaged. And I think the United States should be very concerned, because I believe this is a test run for applying it to American service members and American leaders in the future," he added.

Rubio later accused Hamas of deliberately targeting Israeli civilians during the October 7, 2023, attack, while claiming that Israel did not intentionally target civilians during its ongoing military operations spanning over a year.

"It's a terrible thing about war, and it's why we should try to prevent it at almost every almost every any cost is that innocent people are caught up in it, and that's true of every conflict on the planet," he stated, downplaying the killing of over 46,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, as a result of Israel's assault on Gaza.

Rubio also said the US should revoke visas of individuals who support Hamas.

"If you applied for a visa to come into the United States, and ... it comes to light that you're a supporter of Hamas, we wouldn't let you in," he said.

"So now that you got the visa, and then you're inside the U.S., and now we realize you're supportive of Hamas, we should remove your visa. If you could not come in because you're a supporter of Hamas, you should not be able to stay".

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.