US Secretary of State Tony Blinken was called a “war criminal” during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.
A small group of protesters stood up when Blinken entered the room. The protesters had what appeared to be red paint on their hands. “The blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on his hands,” they shouted.
The protesters, who were escorted out, could be heard calling him the “secretary of genocide” and “bloody butcher Blinken.”
Blinken did not address the demonstrators and waited until they left the room to continue speaking. His office did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Blinken signaled during the hearing that the Biden administration is willing to support sanctions against the ICC prosecutor who is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
He denounced the prosecutor’s decision and said it harms efforts to get an Israel-Hamas hostage deal that includes a ceasefire in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor announced on Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.
The move, by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, will further isolate Israel internationally and increase pressure on the Biden administration to press Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza. It could also trigger legislation by Congress against the ICC.
Axios
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