No10 gives latest update on Benjamin Netanyahu arrest after ICC issues warrant

Downing Street refused to remark connected 'specific cases' but said the UK 'will ever comply with its ineligible obligations arsenic acceptable retired by home instrumentality and so planetary law'

Benjamin Netanyahu faces apprehension if helium enters Britain aft an planetary apprehension warrant was issued for him, Downing Street has signalled.

No10 refused to explicitly remark connected "hypotheticals" but said the UK would travel its "legal obligations". The International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the Israeli premier minister, arsenic good arsenic his erstwhile defence curate Yoav Gallant implicit alleged warfare crimes successful Gaza connected Thursday.

Asked whether Mr Netanyahu would beryllium detained if helium arrived connected British soil, the Prime Minister's authoritative spokesperson connected Friday said helium could not "talk astir circumstantial cases". But asked whether the Government would comply with the law, helium said: "The UK volition ever comply with its ineligible obligations arsenic acceptable retired by home instrumentality and so planetary law."

Downing Street said that the home process linked to ICC apprehension warrants has ne'er been utilized to day by the UK due to the fact that nary 1 wanted by the planetary tribunal had visited the country. The Act states that the Secretary of State must, connected receipt of a petition for apprehension from the ICC, "transmit the petition and the documents accompanying it to an due judicial officer".

No10 would not specify which Cabinet curate would beryllium liable for doing so, but Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said connected Friday it was "not a substance for me". She said determination were "proper processes that request to beryllium followed and truthful it wouldn't beryllium due for maine to remark connected those".

Ms Cooper said the "vast majority" of ICC cases "never" go a substance for the British ineligible oregon instrumentality enforcement strategy but that determination are "proper Government processes that request to beryllium followed" if they ever go an contented for the UK. "The International Criminal Court is of people autarkic and we respect its independency and the relation that it has to play," she added.

The ICC besides issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, caput of Hamas's equipped wing, implicit the October 7 2023 attacks that triggered Israel 's violative successful Gaza. Israel claims to person killed Deif successful an airstrike successful July, but the court's pre-trial enclosure said it would "continue to stitchery information" to corroborate his death.

For Netanyahu and Gallant, the tribunal recovered tenable grounds to judge they each carnivore transgression work for "the warfare transgression of starvation arsenic a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and different inhumane acts". The ICC’s apprehension warrants are of momentous value arsenic it marks the archetypal clip that leaders of a ideology and Western-aligned authorities person ever been charged by the tribunal successful its 22-year history.

Shadow overseas caput Dame Priti Patel described the warrants arsenic "concerning and provocative" and called connected the Government to "condemn" them. Dame Priti criticised the ICC for drafting a "moral equivalence" betwixt Israel's actions successful Gaza and the Hamas violent atrocity connected October 7 2023.

No10 echoed: “There is nary motivation equivalence betwixt Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, who are violent organisations. We stay focused connected pushing an contiguous ceasefire to bring an extremity to the devastating unit successful Gaza.”

On Thursday the US, which is not a subordinate of the ICC, said it “fundamentally rejects” the ICC’s decision.