'War criminal' Netanyahu should not be invited to address US Congress: Senator

WASHINGTON

US Senator Bernie Sanders on Saturday slammed congressional leaders who invited “war criminal” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.

"It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress," Sanders said in a statement.

"Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend," Sanders stressed.

His remarks came a day after the leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of the bicameral Congress.

The letter inviting Netanyahu was signed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Sanders, who is an independent but caucuses with Senate Democrats, said Israel had the right to defend itself against Palestinian group Hamas but it does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people.

"Israel does not have the right to kill more than 34,000 civilians and wound over 80,000 – 5% of the population of Gaza. It does not have the right to orphan 19,000 children. It does not have the right to displace 75% of the people of Gaza from their homes," he said.

Stressing that Israel does not have right to annihilate Gaza's health care system and bomb schools, Sanders added: "It most certainly does not have the right to block humanitarian aid – food and medical supplies – from coming to the desperate people of Gaza, creating the conditions for starvation and famine."

The senator also underlined that the International Criminal Court recently announced that it is seeking arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.

"The ICC is right. Both of these people are engaged in clear and outrageous violations of international law," he added.

According to the local media reports, Netanyahu has accepted the invitation to address both houses of Congress. He will be first foreign leader to speak before both houses of Congress four times.

Since last Oct. 7, Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people.

Over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its onslaught nearly eight months ago. Most of those killed have been women and children, with more than 82,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel is also accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.