(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham has urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to introduce bipartisan legislation to impose “crippling sanctions” on the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders for war crimes, including Israel’s conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Graham led a bipartisan group of senators in a letter condemning the ICC for targeting Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Newsmax reports.
Both Graham and Schumer were among many lawmakers to strongly denounce the ICC following its announcement on Monday, but Graham emphasized the need for action.
“I completely agree with Senator Schumer’s strong condemnation of the ICC’s action against Israel today. However, it is now time to follow strong words with strong deeds,” Graham wrote in an X post.
“It is imperative that the Senate, in a bipartisan way, comes up with crippling sanctions against the ICC — not only to support Israel but to deter any future action against American personnel. … This farce at the ICC needs to end,” he added.
Graham and seven other senators issued a joint statement on Tuesday, criticizing the ICC for endangering “efforts to bring about sustainable peace in the Middle East.”
“It puts at risk sensitive negotiations to bring home hostages, including Americans, and surge humanitarian assistance,” read the letter, co-signed by Sens. Ben Cardin, D-MD; Richard Blumenthal, D-CT; Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH; John Fetterman, D-PA; Jim Risch, R-ID; Katie Britt, R-AL.; and John Thune, R-SD.
“The application for arrest warrants also draws a false equivalence between Israel with its longstanding commitment to the rule of law, and Hamas’ theocratic, autocratic, and unaccountable rule over Gaza. To state the obvious: Israel is a functioning democracy, while Hamas is a terrorist organization,” the senators wrote.
Schumer (D-NY), speaking on the Senate floor Monday, called ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan’s decision “reprehensible,” stating that it reflects the court’s “deep bias” against Israel.
“This decision, suggesting an equivalency between Israel and Hamas is another glaring example of that bias against Israel,” he added.
Graham and the senators echoed this sentiment.
“Acting today without engaging the Israeli government on these specific concerns calls into question the unbiased approach ICC investigations are supposed to have,” they wrote.
“We will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to strenuously object to the ICC’s actions against our ally, Israel, and take appropriate steps to help Israel and protect American personnel from future ICC action,” the senators concluded.
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