Republican Senator Lindsey Graham visited Israel this week for his fifth visit since the October 7th massacre. He held a press conference in Tel Aviv on May 29th in which he addressed many important accusations against Israel that are simply untrue. He supported President Biden’s words against the ICC which is accusing PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of intentional starvation of the Palestinian people and other war crimes against Palestinians. However, he emphasized that actions are needed more than words. Sanctions are needed against members of the court to protect Israel, because the accusations are lies, and also because he says that America is next in line for being accused by the court.
Fiction: Israel has rightfully been condemned by the UN many times for its crimes against the Palestinian people.
Facts: Graham said, “I will do everything in my power to make sure the ICC is sanctioned by the Congress because we are next. I will tell every member of the Senate and Congress, that if you don’t stand up to the ICC now and push back hard, we are next. The same model they use against Israel and the IDF, they will use against us. This is a defining moment for Congress to stand up and push back against out-of-control organizations.
The UN had a bias against Israel for decades…From 2015- to 2022 the UN adopted 140 resolutions against Israel, 68 against all other countries on the planet. If you listen to the UN you would think that Israel is the worst actor on planet Earth. 140 resolutions condemning the state of Israel, 68 condemning all other countries: Iran, N. Korea, on and on. I am tired of this. I want to let the Israeli people know I will push back against these organizations. Congress has your back.”
Fiction: Terrorism would decrease if the Palestinians had a state. The Palestinian Authority has denounced terror and would be fitting to rule in Gaza as well as where they currently rule in Judea and Samaria.
Facts: The Palestinian Authority today supports terror, and recognizing a state would only lead to more terror.
Graham said emphatically, “October 7th cannot be seen as liberation day in the future…We got a state because we killed enough Jews to get one. That cannot be the outcome. The Knesset passed a resolution 99/9 rejecting the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. The countries of Ireland, Norway, and Spain have recognized a Palestinian state. What you have done is unbelievable! You have rewarded the largest act of terrorism against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What’s the boundaries of this state you just recognized? Who is in charge of it? Is it a theocracy? Do they still want to kill all the Jews? Do you really want to reward this act of terrorism? I don’t.
Graham remarked on the PA’s “pay to slay” policy which is in effect until today. “What am I looking for? The Palestinian Authority to change. As it is, the PA as it is constructed today is a terrorist organization…Until this day, they pay people to kill Jews. If you kill a Jew, your family is better off than if you have a job. That needs to stop. So, everybody talks about the PA. The Palestinian Authority as it is constructed today has yet to condemn October 7th. That’s the answer? The PA as I speak today still pays martyr payments to people who killed innocent Jews. The PA is not the answer it is the problem.”
Fiction: The UN, the ICC and the ICJ are protecting human rights. Israel is violating international humanitarian law.
Facts: Any terror organization can take advantage of these organizations to protect itself. This will leave any law-abiding country to be open to accusations from these corrupt bodies. The claims against Israel are not just “outrageous,” as Biden said. Graham emphasized that it must be stated they are “lies.”
Graham said, “People who are trying to destroy you (Israel) want to come after me (the US) next. If we don’t stop the ICC they are coming after us…they will come after our soldiers next. Just as sure as I’m standing here. The model used against Israel will be eventually be used against American forces. They threatened to come after our troops in Afghanistan so I’m hoping that Democrats and Republicans can put sanctions together that the President will approve. This is a defining moment for the American military. The American military needs to see Congress and this administration having their back cause what is the ICC threatening? They are threatening the elected leadership of a democratic nation with the most independent judiciary on the planet and they are also threatening your soldiers. They are coming after us next.
So I’m saying to the Biden administration, if you don’t send a clear signal now you will regret it later…What we do for Israel will determine our fate tomorrow.
The charges brought by the prosecutor are without foundation…you are not starving people, you are not intentionally trying to kill innocent Palestinians through the IDF. The IDF is not a war criminal organization, Israel is not Russia, the leaders of your country are not Hamas. The soldiers who wear your flag are not the SS. This is the biggest libel of the Jewish State since its founding.”
