George Clooney's support for Amal could strain relationship with Biden
George Clooney's love and die-hard support for his human rights lawyer wife Amal may not only strain his relationship with the White House, but his friendships with his closest Hollywood pals as well, sources tell DailyMail.com. The 63-year-old A-lister, who has been married to the mother of his seven-year-old twins for nearly a decade, has suddenly found himself caught in the middle of a dispute over the International Criminal Court's decision to prosecute Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. International human rights attorney Amal, 46, was revealed last month to have played an instrumental role in calling for the arrest of Netanyahu, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, for the series of ' war crimes ' committed in the ongoing conflict.
But while she's in favor of taking action, the Biden administration continues to support Israel in the war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas, that has already led to more than 37,000 deaths in Gaza following the group's October 7 attack on Israel. Earlier this month the Republican-led House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to sanction the court if it made good on its promise to prosecute Netanyahu, and now the Hollywood actor fears this could result in his British wife being swept up in the sanctions and subsequently being denied entry into the United States. Clooney recently took the situation in hand and made a call to the White House on Amal's behalf , reportedly speaking with the Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti, to express concern that she could face penalties under the sanctions bill.
He further took issue with Biden's comments related to the arrest warrants and his administration's initial openness to slapping sanctions on ICC officials, the Washington Post reported earlier this month. Now a source tells DailyMail.com: 'George was scheduled to host the recent Biden fundraiser alongside longtime friends Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel, and Barack Obama. It was a star-studded gala held to raise campaign funds for Biden's re-election. 'And while Amal usually would attend such an event with her husband, her recent part in the International Criminal Court's decisions would have made for an awkward and uncomfortable situation.
'George has always been a person who honors his commitments,' the insider added. 'So, he did his part and attended the event, going it alone.' The event, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, raised a whopping $28million. Lebanese-born Amal was one of six legal experts who wrote an opinion stating International Court prosecutor Karim Khan had 'reasonable grounds to believe' that the Israeli leaders had committed war crimes, in a May 20 report.
She wrote on the Clooney Foundation for Justice's website that she believes in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. 'The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict,' she wrote. 'As a human rights lawyer, I will never accept that one child's life has less value than another's. I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law.
'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.' The source says not only is George head over heels in love with Amal he considers her one of the smartest women he knows. He feels her knowledge of the law, and human rights is vast, and he supports her work 100%. But not only is George's relationship with the White House at risk, he may also be putting some of his friendships in jeopardy because many of his longtime friends are Jewish and they support Israel's stance.
'Before he met Amal, George lived a very different lifestyle,' the source added. 'He dated a bevy of beauties, but none of the relationships proved serious. He preferred spending time with his guy friends, who he felt he could trust much more than some of the women he hooked up with. The insider continued: 'George was a super-generous friend.' 'He was always treating his pals to fun-filled vacations, whether it was taking off on a boy's only holiday in Italy riding motorcycles and dining at expensive restaurants or jetting off to his place in Cabo with his pals.
'And of course, he would always foot the bill! 'A year before marrying Amal, George decided to surprise 14 of his pals with $1 million each,' said the source. 'He says it was to pay them back for the years they let him bunk in with them when he first came to LA, and the times they loaned him money so he could continue to pursue his Hollywood dream. 'Many of those pals are Jewish.'
While Clooney had a large group of loyal friends, most often he would go off with actor Thom Matthews, comedian Richard Kind, actor and producer Grant Heslov and close friend Rande Gerber and his wife Cindy Crawford. 'These were George's ride or die pals,' says the source. 'And while Thom isn't Jewish, Richard, Rande and Grant are. And while they like Amal, they have to be bothered by her stance on what's going on in Israel. 'George is walking a fine line,' added the source. 'His allegiance to his wife and twins will always come first. But he still values his close friendships and his relationships with the people currently in the White House.'
