Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, citing violations of the international Genocide Convention.
In a press release on Tuesday, Tlaib accused the Israeli government of carrying out a ground invasion of Rafah and blamed the attack on funds provided by the United States.
“Just after our government sent more than $14 billion to Israel’s apartheid regime without any human rights conditions, Prime Minister Netanyahu launched a ground invasion of Rafah to continue the slaughter of Palestinians. “It’s not a coincidence. The ammunition and bombs were paid for by our taxes,” she said. “More than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians, including more than 600,000 children, are trapped in Rafah, living in makeshift tents without food, clean water, sanitation, medicine or any other form of shelter. .”
Tlaib accused Israeli forces of killing more than 35,000 Palestinians and displacing their families in Rafah, subjecting them to further “unimaginable human suffering.”
He also said in a release that many of his colleagues would express concern about “crimes against humanity” in Rafah, even though those same colleagues voted in favor of giving Prime Minister Netanyahu the means to do so. warned voters.
“Make no mistake about it: they consent to these atrocities, and our country is an active participant in the genocide,” Tlaib said. “For months Prime Minister Netanyahu has been clear about his intent to invade Rafah, but most of my colleagues and President Biden have sent even more weapons to enable the massacre.”
She insisted that Prime Minister Netanyahu will remain in power as long as the fighting continues, adding that the US must stop funding to Israel.
“We must now call on President Biden to end all U.S. military funding to Israel’s apartheid regime and to facilitate an immediate and permanent ceasefire, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all hostages. It has now become clear that Palestinians have been arbitrarily detained,” Tlaib wrote.
“I urge the ICC. [International Criminal Court] Arrest warrants should be promptly issued for Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials, and they should finally be held accountable for this genocide, which is a well-documented violation of the Genocide Convention under international law. It is natural from this point of view. ”
Trave’s office Hamas leaders responsible for the October 7, 2023 atrocity in Israel also did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on whether they should be held accountable for their actions and arrested. .
Despite “Squad” members’ calls for action, 12 US senators warn ICC prosecutor Karim AA Khan that any action against Prime Minister Netanyahu or other Israeli officials will lead to severe sanctions did.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, 12 senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), said that Netanyahu’s arrest was not only unjust but also lacked legal basis. said Mr. Khan.
“The ICC seeks to punish Israel for acting in legitimate self-defense against an Iranian-backed aggressor. In fact, according to your own words, you have been attacked by Hamas in Israel after the October 7 attack. “I witnessed a ‘calculated act of brutality’ that took place,” the letter said. “These arrest warrants align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxies. To be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas terrorism and Israel’s legitimate response. do not have.”
The letter informed Khan that the ICC would be prohibited from proceeding with the case in any case unless the relevant governments were willing or able to police themselves.
“Issuing a warrant would call into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government,” the letter said. “Issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders is not only unjust, it exposes the organization’s hypocrisy and double standards.”
The senators told Khan that his office has access to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other Iranian officials, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other Syrian officials, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and others. Hamas officials said they had not issued a warrant against the People’s General Secretary. Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or other Chinese officials.
The letter also reminded Mr. Khan that neither the United States nor Israel are member states of the ICC and any action against them is outside the organization’s jurisdiction.
“If you issue an arrest warrant for Israeli leadership, we will interpret this as a threat not only to Israeli sovereignty but also to the sovereignty of the United States,” the senators said. “The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC against our allies. Target Israel, and we will target you.”
The letter warned that any action against either country would result in the end of all U.S. support for the ICC, sanctions on ICC officials and associates, and a ban on Khan and his family from entering the United States.
