FALCON POWERS – The new British government under the leadership of Keir Starmer has abandoned the request made by the previous government led by Rishi Sunak regarding the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This move has resulted in disappointment from Israel.
The ICC Prosecutor had requested in May to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, suspecting them of committing war crimes. This angered Israel and concerned the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated that the new government will withdraw the inquiry “in line with our firm position that this is a matter for the Court to decide.”
The spokesperson added that “the government has a strong belief in the rule of law, both internationally and domestically, and in the separation of powers.”
Britain, as a member state of the ICC, had requested the Court to allow it to submit legal observations on whether the ICC could exercise jurisdiction over Israelis “in circumstances where Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals (under) the Oslo Accords.”
A senior Israeli official expressed Israel’s disappointment with the new British decision, telling the Haaretz newspaper that “this is an absolutely wrong decision” that “distorts justice and truth, and violates the right of all democracies to fight terrorism.”
