Gaza war: UK drops plans to challenge ICC arrest warrant request against Israel’s Netanyahu
- The ICC’s chief prosecutor has requested warrants for Netanyahu and his defence minister on suspicion of war crimes over Israel’s war in Gaza
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Friday that the UK will not intervene in the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement is a reversal of plans announced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was ousted earlier this month when Starmer’s Labour Party swept Conservatives from office in a landslide.
“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,” a Starmer spokesperson said.
Some British Jewish organisations denounced the decision. The Jewish Leadership Council called it a regressive step and voiced concerns it could signal a policy shift “away from Israel being a key UK ally” in a statement posted on social media site X.
The court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders – Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. US President Joe Biden also criticised the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas – as did Sunak.