Palmetto State News

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a hearing on the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request.

Graham pressed Blinken on the issue of sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its actions against Israel. "I want to take actions, not just [use] words. Will you support a bipartisan effort to sanction the ICC – not only for the outrage against Israel but to protect, in the future, our own interests?" Graham asked.

Blinken responded affirmatively, stating, "I welcome working with you on that."

Graham emphasized his stance by saying, "Let it be said that we’re going to work together to send a signal to the ICC. What [the ICC] did was not only outrageous, [they] destroyed the rule of law as we know it… I’ve never been more disappointed. We worked together to help the ICC against Russia. Ungoverned spaces and rogue nations are the point of [the] ICC, not Israel."

He further expressed his unwavering support for Israel: "I stand with Israel without apology. I hope one day to be able to end this conflict in a way where the Palestinian people have the hope they don’t have today, and Israel will have the security it deserves. And maybe we can integrate the region with a deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel."

The full exchange between Senator Graham and Secretary Blinken can be viewed online.