LONDON: The UK’s new Labour government has decided to drop the previous administration’s challenge to arrest warrants sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government war crimes in Gaza.
This decision marks a shift from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government’s plan to contest the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants against Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza.
The UK had until Friday to submit its objections to the court in The Hague. However, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that the Labour government would not pursue this challenge.
“This was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on,” the spokesperson said.
They added that the court has already received numerous submissions and is well-informed to make its independent decisions.
Labour, led by former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer, came to power after securing absolute majority against Conservative Party in general election held on July 4.
Since then, the new government has reinstated funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which was paused under Sunak’s administration.
The Labour government has also called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as the release of hostages.
The United States, Israel’s key ally, plans to challenge the ICC’s authority to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu. Alongside Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan is seeking warrants for top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
If granted by ICC judges, any of the 124 member states would be theoretically required to arrest Netanyahu and the others if they traveled there, although the ICC lacks enforcement mechanisms for its orders.
