Rep. Rashida Tlaib of the “Squad” called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in Israel, accusing them of violations of the Genocide Convention under international law. Tlaib criticized the US government for providing funding to Israel, linking it to the ground invasion of Rafah. She highlighted the dire circumstances faced by Palestinian civilians in Rafah and accused Israeli forces of committing atrocities that have caused unimaginable human suffering.
Tlaib accused Netanyahu of leading a genocide of Palestinians in Rafah, stating that the US is complicit in these crimes due to continued military funding of Israel. She called for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, along with the release of all hostages and detained Palestinians. Tlaib urged President Biden to take action to end all US military funding for Israel and to hold Netanyahu accountable for the genocide he is allegedly perpetrating.
Tlaib called on the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials in order to hold them accountable for the genocide in Rafah. However, her request was met with opposition from 12 US senators, who warned the ICC prosecutor against taking action against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. The senators argued that Israel was acting in self-defense against Iranian-backed aggressors and condemned the ICC for considering arrest warrants that they believed lacked a legal basis.
The senators’ letter to the ICC prosecutor emphasized that issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders would be unjustified, would call into question Israel’s legitimacy, and would expose the ICC’s double standards. They reminded the prosecutor that the ICC had not targeted leaders of other nations accused of human rights abuses, such as Iran, Syria, China, or Hamas, and pointed out that both the US and Israel are not members of the ICC. The senators threatened severe consequences if the ICC proceeded with any action against Israel or the US.
The letter warned the ICC prosecutor that any action against Israel or the US would result in the end of American support for the ICC, sanctions on ICC employees, and restrictions on the prosecutor and his family entering the US. The senators made it clear that targeting Israel or the US would be seen as a threat to their sovereignty and would not be tolerated. They reiterated their support for Israel and denounced any politicized attacks by the ICC on their allies. The strong stance taken by the senators reflects the deep-rooted political divisions on issues related to Israel and Palestine within the US government.
