Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz called the International Criminal Court a joke on Sunday after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said: “The ICC is irrelevant. They have no jurisdiction. We might as well call them the Harry Potter Ministry of Magic. They are irrelevant because Israel is not a party to their treaty.”
Arrest warrants were issued Monday for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Yahya Sinwar and two other Hamas leaders. “I remain deeply concerned by the continuing allegations and emerging evidence of international crimes taking place in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank,” said ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan.
Talking to host Shannon Bream, Moskowitz was in disbelief, noting that the ICC had not pursued human rights abuses in Syria or China. Like Israel, none of these countries are signatories to the ICC.
“This is pressure,” Moskowitz said, “unfortunately from the international community that doesn’t want to see Israel anymore, and they’re using the ICC to go ahead and do that.” I think the United States must respond strongly. bipartisan approach, which is why you’re seeing Democrats and Republicans coming together in the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Biden administration.”
Moskowitz also said it is Hamas’s fault that there is currently no ceasefire in Gaza.
“Why we don’t let the hostages come out and why we don’t have a ceasefire is because Hamas doesn’t agree to it,” he told Bream. “We need more pressure on Hamas, not less. And every time there is any daylight between the United States and Israel, Hamas has a reason not to come to the table and agree to a ceasefire.”