[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 87 (Monday, May 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Israel
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I would like to begin with a statement
about the ICC prosecutor's announcement from earlier this morning.
The ICC prosecutor's decision seeking arrest warrants for Israeli
leaders alongside Hamas terrorists is not only profoundly unfair, but
it is reprehensible. As disappointing as the ICC's decision is, it
comes as no surprise because, for decades and decades, the ICC has
shown it harbors deep biases against Israel. This decision suggesting
an equivalency between Israel and Hamas is another glaring example of
that bias against Israel.
As I have said many times, there has never been and there can never
be any equivalence between Israel's right to defend itself against
terror and Hamas's barbarity. The ICC's decision seeking warrants
against Israeli leaders is not only shameful, but it also fails to
follow protocol and process in a country where it has zero
jurisdiction. I fiercely oppose the ICC's decision, and I will work
with President Biden and Members on all sides to keep support for
Israel strong and unwavering.