'Squad' member Rep. Tlaib calls for Netanyahu's arrest; GOP senators warn ICC of serious repercussions

"Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in Israel for what she called violations of the Genocide Convention under international law.

In a press release on Tuesday, Tlaib called out the government of Israel for its ground invasion of Rafah, linking the U.S. to the attack because of funding it provided.

"It’s no coincidence that immediately after our government sent the Israeli apartheid regime over $14 billion with absolutely no conditions on upholding human rights, Netanyahu began a ground invasion of Rafah to continue the genocide of Palestinians — with ammunition and bombs paid for by our tax dollars," she said. "Over 1.5 million Palestinian civilians, including over 600,000 children, are trapped in Rafah, living in makeshift tents, without food, clean water, sanitation, medicine, or any form of shelter."

Tlaib accused Israeli forces of killing over 35,000 Palestinians and displacing families in Rafah, exposing them to more "unimaginable human suffering."

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She also warned her constituents in the release that many of her colleagues would express concern over the "crimes against humanity" in Rafah, even though the same colleagues voted in favor of giving Netanyahu the means to do so.

"Do not be misled, they gave their consent for these atrocities, and our country is actively participating in genocide," Tlaib said. "For months, Netanyahu made his intent to invade Rafah clear, yet the majority of my colleagues and President Biden sent more weapons to enable the massacre."

She claimed Netanyahu will only stay in power as long as fighting continues, adding that the U.S. must stop funding Israel.

"It is now more apparent than ever that we must end all U.S. military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime, and demand that President Biden facilitate an immediate, permanent ceasefire that includes a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians," Tlaib wrote. 

"I urge the ICC [International Criminal Court] 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."

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Tlaib’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on whether Hamas leaders responsible for the atrocities in Israel Oct. 7, 2023, should also be held accountable for their actions and arrested.

Despite the "Squad" member’s request for action, 12 U.S. senators warned Karim A. A. Khan, the prosecutor for the ICC, that any actions against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials would result in severe sanctions.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the 12 senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Khan the arrest of Netanyahu would not only be illegitimate. It also lacked a legal basis.

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"The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed ‘scenes of calculated cruelty’ conducted by Hamas in Israel following the October 7 attacks," the letter states. "These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. To be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas's terrorism and Israel's justified response."

The letter also advised Khan that the ICC is prohibited from proceeding in any case unless the relevant government is willing or unable to police themselves.

"By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government," the letter stated. "Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose your organization’s hypocrisy and double standards."

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The senators told Khan his office had not issued warrants for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian official, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or any other Syrian official, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or any other Hamas official nor General Secretary of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or any other Chinese official.

The letter also reminded Khan that neither the U.S. nor Israel are members of the ICC, and any action against them is outside the organization’s jurisdiction. 

"If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States," the senators said. "The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you."

The letter warned that any action against either country would result in the end of all American support for the ICC, sanctioning of ICC employees and associates and barring Khan and his family from the U.S.