Senator Lindsey Graham, US Senator for South Carolina | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Lindsey Graham, US Senator for South Carolina | Official U.S. Senate headshot
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and John Thune (R-South Dakota) issued a statement today in response to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to apply for arrest warrants for democratically-elected Israeli officials.
“These actions by the ICC jeopardize efforts to bring about sustainable peace in the Middle East. It puts at risk sensitive negotiations to bring home hostages, including Americans, and surge humanitarian assistance,” read the statement.
The senators expressed concern over what they described as a "false equivalence" between Israel and Hamas. “The application for arrest warrants also draws a false equivalence between Israel with its longstanding commitment to the rule of law, and Hamas’ theocratic, autocratic, and unaccountable rule over Gaza. To state the obvious: Israel is a functioning democracy, while Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
According to the statement, representatives of the ICC were expected in Israel to set up meetings between Israeli officials and ICC Prosecutor Khan’s team next week to discuss allegations and concerns. The senators indicated their support for this process as it aligns with the principle of complementarity.
“The ICC’s precipitous action in applying for arrest warrants in this instance runs contrary to the promotion of rule of law globally; Israel has a long history as a functioning democracy, with an independent judiciary and military justice system. We have great confidence in the Israeli judicial system’s ability to administer justice. The principle of complementarity should be honored, allowing a nation’s legal system to act first,” they stated.
The senators questioned the impartiality of ICC investigations due to their recent actions. “Acting today without engaging the Israeli government on these specific concerns calls into question the unbiased approach ICC investigations are supposed to have.”
They concluded by reaffirming their bipartisan commitment: “We will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to strenuously object to the ICC’s actions against our ally, Israel, and take appropriate steps to help Israel and protect American personnel from future ICC action.”
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