Downing Street confirms Netanyahu will face arrest if he Visits UK

Downing Street confirms Netanyahu will face arrest if he Visits UK
Credit: Reuters

London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – No. 10 has confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face an international arrest warrant issued by the ICC over alleged Gaza war crimes. Downing Street asserted it would fulfil its legal responsibilities under the ICC Act but avoided direct answers on enforcing the warrant. 

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu risks arrest in Britain after the ICC issued an international warrant against him, Downing Street has confirmed. 

No 10 avoided commenting on Netanyahi’s case, calling it hypothetical but assured that the UK would fulfil its legal duties. 

This development comes after the International Criminal Courts (ICC) issued warrants accusing Mr Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes in Gaza. 

PM minister’s official spokesman said,

“The government would fulfil its obligations under the act and indeed its legal obligations”.

Being an ICC member, the UK is legally bound to act on arrest warrants issued by the court. 

According to the International Criminal Court Act 2001, if a warrant is issued, a designated minister forwards the request to a judicial officer, who will approve it for execution in the UK if the warrant appears legitimate. 

The act states that the Secretary of State is required to “transmit the request and the documents accompanying it to an appropriate judicial officer” upon receiving an arrest request. 

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister confirmed that the government is committed to following the procedures outlined in the ICC Act and would “always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law”.

The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, Hamas military chief, over October 7, 2023, attacks that led to the ongoing conflict in Israel-Gaza. 

Israel claims to have killed Mohammed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas has not confirmed the death of its armed wing leader. 

When asked about which secretary of state would handle the case or whether Attorney General Lord Hermer had been consulted, the spokesperson remained unanswered. 

As reported by Independent News, the spokesman said Sir Keir will remain in dialogue with Mr Netanyahu, to focus on “the essential business of reaching a ceasefire in the Middle East.”

While Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday morning declined to comment on whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he travelled to Britain.

She stated

“there are proper processes that need to be followed”,

adding that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the home secretary

to comment on individual cases in a speculative way”. 

She told Sky News,

“That’s not a matter for me as home secretary, as the International Criminal Court is, of course, independent, and we respect its independence and the role that it has to play. 

She continued

“In the overwhelming majority of international criminal court investigations, they never become a matter for either the British law enforcement processes or for the British government.”

“In any case, whether they ever do, there are proper processes that need to be followed, and therefore it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on those. 

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel criticized the warrants as “concerning and provocative,” and called on the government to “condemn and challenge” the ICC’s ruling. 

The prime minister’s official spokesman on Thursday stated,

“This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law.”

“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.

“We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza which is essential to protect civilians, ensure the release of hostages, and to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), “reasonable grounds” exist to hold Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant accountable for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare” and crimes against humanity such as murder and persecution.

The ICC pre-trial chamber also concluded, “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”

However, Israeli PM Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions, stating Israel

“rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” and “there is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza”. 

Daniele Naddei

Daniele Naddei is a journalist at Parliament News covering European affairs, was born in Naples on April 8, 1991. He also serves as the Director of the CentroSud24 newspaper. During the period from 2010 to 2013, Naddei completed an internship at the esteemed local radio station Radio Club 91. Subsequently, he became the author of a weekly magazine published by the Italian Volleyball Federation of Campania (FIPAV Campania), which led to his registration in the professional order of Journalists of Campania in early 2014, listed under publicists. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as a freelance photojournalist and cameraman for external services for Rai and various local entities, including TeleCapri, CapriEvent, and TLA. Additionally, between 2014 and 2017, Naddei collaborated full-time with various newspapers in Campania, both in print and online. During this period, he also resumed his role as Editor-in-Chief at Radio Club 91.
Naddei is actively involved as a press officer for several companies and is responsible for editing cultural and social events in the city through his association with the Medea Fattoria Sociale. This experience continued until 2021. Throughout these years, he hosted or collaborated on football sports programs for various local broadcasters, including TLA, TvLuna, TeleCapri, Radio Stonata, Radio Amore, and Radio Antenna Uno.
From 2016 to 2018, Naddei was employed as an editor at newspapers of national interest within the Il24.it circuit, including Internazionale24, Salute24, and OggiScuola. Since 2019, Naddei has been one of the creators of the Rabona television program "Calcio è Passione," which has been broadcast on TeleCapri Sport since 2023.