Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat and member of “Squad,” called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials in Israel for what she called violations of the Genocide Convention under international law.
In a press release issued Tuesday, Tlaib denounced the Israeli government for its ground invasion of Rafah, linking the United States to the attack because of the funding it provided.
“It is no coincidence that immediately after our government sent the Israeli apartheid regime more than $14 billion without any human rights conditions, Netanyahu began a ground invasion of Rafah to continue the genocide of the Palestinians – with munitions and bombs paid for by our taxes,” she said. “More than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians, including more than 600,000 children, are stuck in Rafah, living in makeshift tents, without food, clean water, sanitation, medicine or any form of shelter . »
Tlaib accused Israeli forces of killing more than 35,000 Palestinians and displacing families in Rafah, exposing them to more “unimaginable human suffering.”
She also warned her constituents in the statement that many of her colleagues would express concern over the “crimes against humanity” being committed in Rafah, even if those same colleagues had voted to empower Netanyahu to do so.
“Make no mistake, they gave consent to these atrocities and our country is an active participant in the genocide,” Tlaib said. “For months, Netanyahu made clear his intention to invade Rafah, but the majority of my colleagues and President Biden sent more weapons to enable the massacre. »
She said Netanyahu would only stay in power as long as the fighting continued, adding that the United States must stop funding Israel.
“It is now more clear than ever that we must end all U.S. military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime and demand that President Biden facilitate an immediate and permanent ceasefire that includes a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of all hostages. and arbitrarily detained Palestinians,” Tlaib wrote.
“I urge the ICC (International Criminal Court) to quickly issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials to finally hold them accountable for this genocide, as these well-documented violations of the Genocide Convention clearly justify under international law. »
Tlaib’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on whether the Hamas leaders responsible for the atrocities committed in Israel on October 7, 2023 should also be held accountable for their actions and arrested.
Despite the Squad member’s demand for action, 12 US senators warned Karim AA Khan, the ICC prosecutor, that any action against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials would result in severe sanctions.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the 12 senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Khan that Netanyahu’s arrest would not only be illegitimate, but also lacked legal basis.
“The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate self-defense measures against its Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed “scenes of calculated cruelty” carried out by Hamas in Israel following the October 7 attacks,” the letter states. “These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. Let us be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas’ terrorism and Israel’s justified response.”
The letter also informed Khan that the ICC was prohibited from continuing its proceedings unless the government concerned was unwilling or unable to police itself.
“By issuing mandates, you would call into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system and democratic form of government,” the letter said. “Issuing arrest warrants against Israel’s leaders would not only be unjustified, but it would expose the hypocrisy and double standards of your organization.”
The senators told Khan that his office had not issued any arrest warrants for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or any other Iranian official, or for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or any other official Syrian, against Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or against any other Hamas official, nor against the general secretary of the people. Republic of China, Xi Jinping or any other Chinese official.
The letter also reminds Khan that neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC and that any action against them falls outside the organization’s jurisdiction.
“If you issue an arrest warrant against Israeli leaders, we will interpret it not only as a threat to the sovereignty of Israel but also to the sovereignty of the United States,” the senators said. “The United States will not tolerate the ICC’s politicized attacks against our allies. Target Israel and we will target you.
The letter warned that any action against either country would result in an end to all U.S. support for the ICC, sanctions against ICC employees and associates, and a ban on Khan and his family entering the UNITED STATES.
New York Post
