Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress, is calling on the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israeli forces seized Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
“There is nowhere safe in Gaza,” Ms. Tlaib, Michigan Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday.
“I urge the ICC to swiftly issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials to finally hold them accountable for this genocide, as is obviously warranted by these well-documented violations of the Genocide Convention under international law,” she added.
Ms. Tlaib has been critical of the role the U.S. has played in the Israel-Hamas war, which started after Palestinians slaughtered 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7. She was one of the first lawmakers to demand a cease-fire.
“It is now more apparent than ever that we must end all U.S. military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime, and demand that President Biden facilitate an immediate, permanent cease-fire that includes a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians,” she said.
In a May 1 X post, Mr. Netanyahu posted a video of him discussing the ICC contemplating issuing warrants against senior Israeli officials as war criminals.
He said by targeting Israel, “the ICC would be targeting all democracies because it would be undermining their inherent right to defend themselves against savage terrorism and wanton aggression.”
He said world leaders should “stand firmly against” the ICC’s “outrageous assault” on Israel.
A group of 12 GOP senators wrote a letter on April 24 that threatened the ICC with sanctions if it issued warrants against Israeli officials.
“Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned,” wrote the senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
The Israeli military entered Rafah Tuesday for a “limited operation” to eliminate Hamas terrorists. Israeli Defense Forces have said the Rafah Crossing was being used for terrorist purposes.
The IDF encouraged residents to leave the area and move near a humanitarian aid area.
Ms. Tlaib criticized fellow lawmakers for supporting the foreign aid package that sent more funds to Israel.
“Many of my colleagues are going to express concern and horror at the crimes against humanity that are about to unfold, even though they just voted to send Netanyahu billions more in weapons,” she said. “Do not be misled; they gave their consent for these atrocities, and our country is actively participating in genocide. For months, Netanyahu made his intent to invade Rafah clear, yet the majority of my colleagues and President Biden sent more weapons to enable the massacre.”
Source:Washington Times
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