The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today applauded the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to reject outside pressure and issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza genocide.
A three-judge ICC panel issued warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC said Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
Earlier this week, CAIR said the ICC International Criminal Court should disregard “illegal and unacceptable” threats by incoming Republican Senate majority leader Sen. John Thune and other GOP officials to sanction the court and prosecutors over their pursuit of war crimes charges against top Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, for the genocide in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“We applaud the decision by the International Criminal Court to reject outside pressure and issue these arrest warrants, including against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. Israeli occupation forces directed by these individuals have carried out a more than year-long campaign of indiscriminate slaughter, mass destruction, forced starvation, and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
“If international law means anything at all, Netanyahu and his genocidal cabinet should be held responsible for those war crimes. Going forward, any other political leaders who continue to enable and fund the Israeli government’s crimes against humanity – including Biden administration officials – should also be held accountable. We call on all nations to enforce the ICC warrants and either deny entry to the indicted officials or arrest them if the opportunity arises.”
Earlier this month, CAIR said that it considers President Biden a “war criminal” after his decision to continue sending weapons to the Israeli government after it flouted Biden’s 30-day deadline to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Earlier today, CAIR praised 19 U.S. senators who voted yes to limit arms sales to Israel during a historic vote of Senator Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs), a measure that sought to block $20 billion in arms sales to Israel amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza and expanded military operations the West Bank and Lebanon.
Yesterday, CAIR condemned the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com