WASHINGTON — US Senator Bernie Sanders has voiced his support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, urging the US to respect international law.
“The ICC, as I see it, is trying to uphold international law and minimum standards of decency. Our government should do no less,” Sanders stated on the Senate floor Tuesday night.
His comments followed Khan’s application for arrest warrants on Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Sanders noted that the US government welcomed the ICC’s declaration of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal last year.
“Some have argued that it is unfair to compare the democratically elected head of the Israeli government to Putin, who runs an authoritarian system…Yes, democratically elected officials can commit war crimes,” Sanders said.
He emphasized that the ICC is fulfilling its mandate and that international law must be applied consistently.
Sanders reminded the Senate that over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 80,000 injured since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7 last year.
While acknowledging Israel’s right to target Hamas, Sanders condemned the broad attacks on Gaza’s civilian population. “Netanyahu and his government do not have the right to wage an all-out war against the children, against the women, against the innocent people of Gaza. And for that, there must be consequences,” he asserted.
Sanders underscored the importance of the ICC’s actions for maintaining global standards of humanity, warning against a descent into barbarity.–News Desk