George Clooney 'lobbied the White House for sanctions in court, where his wife provided legal advice'

George Clooney with his wife Amal, a human rights lawyer who was brought in to assist the ICC prosecutor in the war crimes investigation Photo: Dave Benett/WireImage

George Clooney reportedly lobbied the White House for sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it sought an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister in a case his wife was working on.

< p >According to the Washington Post, the Oscar winner contacted one of Joe Biden's top aides to express dissatisfaction with the president's refusal of arrest warrants.

Mr. Clooney reportedly raised concerns with Steve Ricchetti. The presidential adviser said that sanctions would be applied to the ICC, given that it could affect human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Mr Clooney's calls reportedly came just weeks before he was scheduled to appear at a Biden fundraiser in the US. Los Angeles

Actor Michael Clayton is a major Biden supporter, donating $500,000 to Biden's campaign in 2020 and co-hosting a virtual fundraiser for him that raised $7 million.

War crimes

Karim Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, announced on May 20, that he is seeking to charge Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and two other senior Hamas leaders with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

< p>Mr. Biden called the decision “outrageous.”

“And let me be clear: Whatever this prosecutor implies, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” Mr. Biden said. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

A total of 42 Democrats joined Republicans in voting to authorize the ICC earlier this week.

Senate Republicans are putting pressure on Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will bring the bill to a vote.

Legal Analysis

Following the announcement, Ms. Clooney said she had been retained by prosecutors to assist with the investigation.

In her statement, she said she had reviewed evidence of alleged war crimes and provided legal analysis. and that the panel's legal findings were «unanimous.»

«I do not agree that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any criminal should be above the law,» Ms. — Ms. Clooney in a statement.

“I therefore support the historic step that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to the victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine.”

Final decision Expected It will take several weeks for the warrants to be issued, and judges must have «reasonable grounds to believe» that the crimes outlined in Mr. Khan's statement have been committed.

Israel categorically denies committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip and claims they are defending their nation while respecting international law.