US Senator Bernie Sanders called on the US to uphold international law and voiced support for the head prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, in his demands for arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
“From my perspective, the ICC is working to protect both international law and basic human decency. Sanders said on Tuesday night on the Senate floor, “Our government should do no less.”
Following the application on Monday for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas officials for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” perpetrated in Israel and the Gaza Strip, Khan made his comments.
Sanders stated that the US administration applauded the International Criminal Court’s declaration last year that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a war criminal.
“There are others who contend that drawing comparisons between Putin, the leader of an authoritarian regime, and the democratically elected head of the Israeli government is inappropriate.Indeed, war crimes can be committed by democratically elected officials,” he declared.
“Work is being done by the ICC. It’s carrying out its intended function. Sanders continued, “We cannot implement international law just when it is advantageous.
He informed the senators that since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7 of last year, over 35,000 Palestinians have died and almost 80,000 have been injured.
Sanders emphasized that Israel is entitled to pursue Hamas, saying that Netanyahu and his administration are not entitled to launch a full-scale offensive on Gaza’s defenseless citizens, women, or children. And there need to be repercussions for it.”
“What the ICC has done is important for the global community, in the sense that we cannot allow the human race to descend to barbarity,” he said.