The Biden administration is claiming the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction to charge Israeli officials for war crimes. This comes amid reports that the ICC may be close to issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, as well as members of Hamas. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel spoke on Monday.

Vedant Patel: “Since this president has come into office, we have worked to reset our relationship with the ICC, and we are in contact with the court on a range of issues, including in connection to the court’s important work on Darfur, on Ukraine, on Sudan, as well. But on this investigation, our position is clear: We continue to believe that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation.”

The U.S. has long criticized the ICC, but last year President Biden ordered U.S. agencies to share evidence with the court after it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin after invading and occupying Ukraine.

On Capitol Hill, a number of lawmakers — both Republicans and Democrats — threatened to retaliate against the ICC if it takes action against Israel. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said, “It would be a fatal blow to the judicial and moral standing of ICC to pursue this path against Israel.”