The British Labor government will not continue the line of the conservatives previously in power to challenge the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official representative of the British prime minister said.
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“As for the appeal (to the court), this was a proposal from the previous government, the appeal was not submitted before the elections (to parliament on July 4). I can confirm that the government will not continue this in accordance with our long-standing position that the resolution of this issue is reserved for the court “, the prime minister’s representative said.
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Earlier, the New York Times, citing sources, reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may by the end of this week abandon the previous government’s objections to the request of International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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In June, the Jerusalem Post reported that the ICC pre-trial tribunal had postponed a decision on issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, requested by court prosecutor Karim Khan for alleged war crimes. The postponement came after the UK filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief against the ICC’s jurisdiction over the issue. Britain’s request for intervention was granted.
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In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said he was filing “applications for arrest warrants… in connection with the situation in the State of Palestine.” It is noted that, according to Khan’s office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar, commander of the military wing of the Al-Qassam Brigades Mohammed Ad-Deif and the head of the Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since October 2023.
