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Floor Speech

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Mr. RICKETTS. Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in expressing my complete support for the State of Israel and the war against Hamas terrorists.

There was a cease-fire in place prior to October 7. Hamas broke that cease-fire. Hamas attacked Israel and murdered over 1,200 Israelis and Americans. They also took hundreds of hostages, including Americans as well.

Hamas is responsible for every death on October 7 and every death since that day. They need to surrender. Hamas must surrender.

If Hamas surrenders and releases the hostages, aid can freely flow into Gaza to support the Gazans. Instead, Hamas continues to prosecute this war. In fact, after October 7, they said they would continue to do atrocities like October 7, if given the chance. They will continue to try to destroy Israel. They will continue to murder Israeli citizens.

They just don't chant ``Death to Israel.'' They chant ``Death to America'' as well.

Terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah represent an existential threat to Israel. They have repeatedly declared their intention to wipe Israel off the map.

Israel has the right and the obligation to destroy the terrorist group Hamas. They must have the ability to defend themselves. And they will be doing the world a favor by destroying Hamas.

We need to support Israel and their efforts to do just that. Part of that support means pushing back on anti-Semitic organizations, like the United Nations or the International Criminal Court, that attack Israel's legitimacy and their sovereignty.

The International Criminal Court's ludicrous decision to apply for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Israel's defense chief is the most recent example of their anti- Semitism. This outrageous decision not only emboldens terrorists around the world but creates problems for us here in the United States as well.

In the statement, the ICC prosecutor describes crimes that have been committed on ``the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine.'' That is exactly backward. He should have said ``the State of Israel and the territories of Palestine.'' But that was intentional.

It is a continuation of the rampant anti-Semitism in these organizations, like the ICC and the U.N. It is designed to delegitimize the State of Israel.

And the crazy thing is, the ICC's action, in itself, is illegitimate. It lacks legal basis. Under its own charter, the ICC is banned from moving forward with prosecutions unless the relevant government is unwilling or unable to police themselves.

The ICC knows Israel has a robust and independent judiciary. The ICC knows and has admitted that Israel has trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. By moving forward with these arrest warrants, the ICC is calling Israel's laws, government, and democracy illegitimate. It is wrong.

There is no moral equivalency between the State of Israel, democracy, and the terrorist organization Hamas. There is no moral equivalency between Hamas's terrorist actions and atrocities on October 7 and Israel's right to defend itself and to take action to destroy that terrorist organization.

Hamas terrorists have shot unarmed civilians, dismembered soldiers, raped women, and massacred children. Meanwhile, Israel has fought its war while taking great pains to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.

We need to be supporting Israel in its mission, not undermining the Israeli Government. It is in our interest to do so.

Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC. Both countries are outside of the ICC's jurisdiction. Yet the ICC is going after Israel anyway. America should take note. If the ICC can violate Israel's sovereignty, it can violate America's sovereignty.

The ICC needs to face the consequences of its anti-Israel policies. While it is good that President Biden has condemned the arrest warrants as ``outrageous,'' Israel needs more than words. It needs actions.

Last month, my Republican colleagues and I sent a letter to the ICC with a warning: If the ICC moved forward with arrest warrants for Israelis, we would push to end all American support for this disgraceful organization.

We are here today to tell President Biden one simple thing: If your commitment to Israel is really ironclad, as you say, you will join us in holding these anti-Semitic organizations accountable. Let's sanction the ICC's employees and associates and prevent them from coming to the United States. Let's work with our allies to ensure that they refuse to honor the ICC's indictments against either Israel or the United States. Let's truly demonstrate our ironclad support and stand with our ally Israel in its hour of need.

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