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.Â
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu risks arrest in Britain after the ICC issued an international warrant against him, Downing Street has confirmed.Â
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 obligationsâ.
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.Â
The act states that the Secretary of State is required to “transmit the request and the documents accompanying it to an appropriate judicial officerâ 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 âalways comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international lawâ.
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.Â
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 âthe essential business of reaching a ceasefire in the Middle East.â
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
âthere are proper processes that need to be followedâ,
adding that it wouldnât be appropriate for the home secretary
to comment on individual cases in a speculative wayâ.Â
She told Sky News,
âThatâs 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.Â
She continued
âIn 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.â
âIn any case, whether they ever do, there are proper processes that need to be followed, and therefore it wouldnât be appropriate for me to comment on those.Â
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel criticized the warrants as âconcerning and provocative,â and called on the government to âcondemn and challengeâ the ICCâs ruling.Â
The prime ministerâs official spokesman on Thursday stated,
âThis government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law.â
âThere is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.
âWe 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.â
According to the International Criminal Court (ICC), âreasonable groundsâ exist to hold Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant accountable for âthe war crime of starvation as a method of warfareâ and crimes against humanity such as murder and persecution.
The ICC pre-trial chamber also concluded, âreasonable 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.â
However, Israeli PM Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions, stating Israel
“rejects with disgust the absurd and false actionsâ and âthere is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gazaâ.Â