Statement by Rep. Mikie Sherrill

LIVINGSTON, NJ – Today, Representative Mikie Sherrill, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, signed a letter regarding the pending case against Israel in the International Court of Justice and released the following statement: 

“South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice claiming Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. I have had numerous briefings and spoken directly with the leaders of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and I have not heard or seen evidence that there is an effort by the military – which receives its orders from the civilian government – to eradicate specific portions of or all of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

“However, I do not condone Prime Minister Netanyahu’s military strategy, which has led to more than 25,000 casualties, including thousands of children, and is now leading to a grave humanitarian crisis imperiling thousands more innocent civilians. While the recent tactical shift appears to be more precise and I hope it leads to fewer casualties, I remain concerned that Israel has yet to address the long-term strategy for this conflict and the day after. 

“There have been too many inflammatory and reprehensible statements by those in Netanyahu’s government that discuss removing all of the citizens of Gaza from the Gaza Strip, that equate civilian Palestinians with Hamas, and, most recently, remarks by PM Netanyahu himself that suggest Israel is not interested in moving forward with a two-state solution.

“These statements stand in opposition to longstanding U.S. policy and threaten to further erode Israel’s coalition of international support. I again reiterate the call I made with members of the national security community for a significant shift of military strategy in Gaza that includes negotiations for an immediate return of all the hostages and a feasible plan for a secure and stable future for Israelis and Palestinians.”

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