Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the United Nations’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ‘can go to hell’ after the body ordered Israel to halt its military operations in southern Gaza.
‘As far as I’m concerned, the ICJ can go to hell,’ he wrote Friday on X. ‘It is long past time to stand up to these so-called international justice organizations associated with the UN.’
‘The ICJ’s ruling that Israel should stop operations that are necessary to destroy four battalions of Hamas killers and terrorists – who use Palestinians as human shields – is ridiculous,’ he added. ‘This will and should be ignored by Israel.’
Friday’s ruling came as Israel continues military operations in Rafah, the last stronghold for Hamas, which has accused Israeli forces of killing civilians and children. The ICJ does not have the power to enforce the ruling.
In 2022, Russia ignored the ICJ’s order that it stop its invasion of Ukraine. Graham also noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hauge previously threatened action against U.S. forces for operations in Afghanistan.
‘Under the theory espoused by the ICC to go after Israel, America would be a target. Sanctions need to be strong because if we fail to act to defend our friends in Israel, America will be next,’ he wrote.
Earlier in the week, Graham criticized the ICC over its effort to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On Friday, Graham said he was in talks with Senate and House members of both parties to potentially sanction the ICC for the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.