(LONDON) 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. In March, PM 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.
As
such, the new submissions by more than 60 countries and NGOs will delay the
ICC's ruling but will not derail it. Israeli officials are fearful 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.
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