War crimes warrant sought for Israeli and Hamas leaders

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – U.S. leaders are condemning the top prosecutor of an international war crimes court who is seeking arrest warrants for both Hamas and Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza.

President Biden and top congressional leaders are denouncing the move.

They say it’s “outrageous” to put Israel and the terror group Hamas on the same level.

“We reject the ICC’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders,” said Biden.

The president reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel.

“My commitment to safety of the Jewish people, security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad.” Said Biden.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defense minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders.

Khan said in a video he believes they’re all responsible for war crimes.

“The crimes include starvation of civilians as a method of warfare,” said Khan.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says there’s no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

“Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” said Miller.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in Congress, called the move “reprehensible.”

“There can never be any equivalence between Israel’s right to defend itself against terror and Hamas’ barbarity,” said Schumer.

A panel of judges will decide whether to issue the warrants.  That usually takes about two months to find out.

Netanyahu called it a moral outrage and said Israel is still pressing forward in its war against Hamas.

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