Elizabeth Warren says she believes Israel’s war in Gaza will legally be considered a genocide
“If you want to do it as an application of law, I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so,” Warren said of the case before the ICJ.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren believes international officials could find that Israel’s assault on Gaza legally constitutes a genocide, she said during an event at a local mosque last week.
“If you want to do it as an application of law, I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so,” Warren (D-Mass.) said Friday while taking audience questions during an event at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Massachusetts. A video of Warren’s comments posted on X by a GBH News reporter began circulating Monday. Warren’s office confirmed the senator’s remarks to POLITICO.
Warren was asked about a ruling from the International Court of Justice that found it was “plausible” Israel has committed acts of genocide in Gaza, and about her own opinion on the matter. A spokesperson for Warren said in a statement to POLITICO Monday that the senator “commented on the ongoing legal process at the International Court of Justice, not sharing her views on whether genocide is occurring in Gaza.”
Warren has faced pressure from her left flank since the start of the crisis in Gaza. The progressive senator initially voiced full-throated support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. But as international criticism built over Israel’s military response, far-left groups began protesting outside of her offices and Cambridge home, calling on her to advocate for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza and to stop further U.S. military aid to Israel.
Warren has grown increasingly vocal in her criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration in recent months. In January, she floated the idea of imposing restrictions on military aid to Israel, saying on X that the U.S. “cannot write a blank check for a right-wing government that’s demonstrated an appalling disregard for Palestinian lives.” In the wake of the Israeli drone strikes that killed seven aid workers last week, including a U.S.-Canadian dual citizen, Warren told CNN that Congress “has a responsibility to act,” and “cannot approve the sale of arms to a country that is in violation” of U.S. laws, including laws surrounding access to humanitarian relief.
At the mosque, Warren said the focus on the war in Gaza should go beyond a “labels argument.”
“For me, it is far more important to say what Israel is doing is wrong. And it is wrong,” she said. “It is wrong to starve children within a civilian population in order to try to bend to your will. It is wrong to drop 2000-pound bombs, in densely populated civilian areas.”
Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.