Britain’s new Labour government has announced a reversal on the UK’s earlier decision to oppose the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, alleges that the Israeli leaders are guilty of attempting to starve the civilian population in Gaza and requested permission to issue arrest warrants against them.
In May, the previous British government had announced that it planned to oppose The Hague court’s authority to arrest an Israeli official, as Israel is not a member of the ICC. The UK has now changed its mind and informed the ICC that it will not file any brief supporting the Israeli leaders.
If the warrants are granted, Netanyahu and Gallant could face arrest when traveling to the 124 countries that are ICC members – including the UK, Germany and France. The Justices must still assess submissions from other states, including the US before reaching a decision.
“The reversal in policy by the Labour government is a massive betrayal by England and points to the direction the UK’s new leadership is headed with in its relations with Israel,” the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center pointed out.
“In March, Prime Minister Netanyahu permitted British officials to meet with captured Hamas terrorists in exchange for England’s promise it would support Israel’s opposition of the ICC’s arrest effort. The British government is also threatening to halt arms sales to Israel over the fighting in Gaza.”
New submissions by more than 60 countries and NGOs will delay the ICC’s ruling but ultimately will not derail it.
Israeli officials are concerned that it is only a matter of time before The Hague formally issues warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. They are warning that a decision by the ICC to target Israeli officials over Gaza is a precedent which will be used in the future against British and American military officials.
