Representative Rashida Tlaib in Washington in December.Credit…Al Drago for The New York Times
Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, called on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day after Israel’s military said it was carrying out “targeted strikes” in eastern Rafah.
“I urge the I.C.C. 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,” the Michigan Democrat said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ms. Tlaib, an outspoken critic of the war, said, “Netanyahu knows that he will only stay in power as long as the fighting continues” and criticized fellow lawmakers for voting to send more American weapons to Israel for its military campaign against Hamas.
“It is now more apparent than ever that we must end all U.S. military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime,” she said, “and demand that President Biden facilitate an immediate, permanent cease-fire that includes a complete withdraw of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians.”
Ms. Tlaib’s call for legal action against Israeli leaders follows earlier reports that the International Criminal Court was preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials — as well as leaders of Hamas — on charges related to the conflict. Mr. Netanyahu said on social media that any intervention by the I.C.C. “would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression.”
A group of U.S. lawmakers, largely Republican, have rushed to support Mr. Netanyahu by threatening retaliation against the court should it issue warrants.
Some Republicans threatened to seek sanctions against members of the court should it move forward with the warrants. “Get your dollars out of the U.S. now and say goodbye to ever visiting America again,” Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, said on social media.
At least three Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Biden to intervene should the court act against Israeli leaders.
