DUBAI: Hollywood star George Clooney reportedly called the White House to complain about US President Joe Biden’s criticism of the International Criminal Court over its actions against Israeli leaders, according to The Washington Post.
The Oscar-winning actor’s wife, Lebanese British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, was involved in the case, which resulted in the court seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Clooney is believed to have called Steve Ricchetti, a senior aide to the president, to voice his concern over Biden’s condemnation of the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
The US leader labeled the ICC’s issuing of arrest warrants “outrageous” and suggested possible sanctions against the court.
On May 20, Khan announced his intention to charge Netanyahu, along with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar, and two other top Hamas figures, with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Amal Clooney later said that the prosecutor’s office had enlisted her to assist with the investigation by reviewing evidence of suspected war crimes and providing legal analysis.
A statement issued by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, a human rights organization she launched with her husband, said the team’s legal findings were “unanimous.”
“I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law,” Amal wrote. “So I support the historic step that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine.”
After the warrant announcement, Biden said: “The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous.
“And let me be clear: Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
According to The Washington Post, Clooney was also disheartened by the administration’s initial willingness to impose sanctions on the ICC, with his wife likely to be affected by any penalties.
