George Clooney Calls White House With a Complaint

Biden aides worried about upset actor backing out of fundraiser
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 21, 2024 12:00 AM CDT
Updated Jun 6, 2024 6:10 PM CDT
Amal Clooney Advised ICC on Warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas
George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney pose for photographers upon arrival at the screening of the film "The Boys In The Boat," Dec. 3, 2023, in London.   (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP, File)
UPDATE Jun 6, 2024 6:10 PM CDT

George Clooney called the White House last month with a complaint, sparking concern that he would drop out of a June 15 fundraiser for President Biden's reelection campaign. The actor reached presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti to discuss Biden's criticism of International Criminal Court prosecutors' decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—a case his wife, Amal Clooney, worked on. The actor was especially upset about Biden's use of the word "outrageous," the Washington Post reports. Clooney also was concerned the administration would support placing sanctions on the ICC that might apply to his wife.

May 21, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Amal Clooney was among the legal experts who advised the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, as well as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer who's been married to actor George Clooney for nearly a decade, had been criticized on social media for not taking a stance on Israel's war with Hamas, the New York Times reports. On Monday, she revealed her work with the ICC:

  • Statement: Clooney made the announcement in a statement on the Clooney Foundation for Justice website. "More than four months ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked me to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. I agreed and joined a panel of international legal experts to undertake this task," she says, explaining that the panel's findings were unanimous. A detailed report of those findings can be seen here.

  • The allegations against Hamas leaders: "We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder, and crimes of sexual violence."
  • The allegations against Israeli leaders: "We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that [Netanyahu and Gallant] have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution, and extermination."
  • An op-ed: The panel also published an op-ed at the Financial Times explaining why members support the ICC prosecutions. Read it here.
(More Amal Clooney stories.)

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