‘Proper processes’ to be followed if ICC cases become UK matter, says Cooper

There are “proper processes” to beryllium followed if International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations ever go a substance for the UK, the Home Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper declined to accidental whether Israeli premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu would beryllium arrested if helium came to the UK, aft warrants were issued by the ICC for Mr Netanyahu and his erstwhile defence curate Yoav Gallant implicit alleged warfare crimes successful Gaza.

Asked whether Mr Netanyahu would beryllium arrested successful the UK, Ms Cooper told connected Sky News connected Friday morning: “That’s not a substance for maine arsenic Home Secretary.

What I tin accidental is that evidently the UK Government’s presumption remains that we judge the absorption should beryllium connected getting a ceasefire successful Gaza

Yvette Cooper

“The International Criminal Court is of people autarkic and we respect its independency and the relation that it has to play.”

She said the “overwhelming majority” of ICC investigations “never” go a substance for the British ineligible strategy oregon government, and added: “In immoderate case, wherever they ever bash determination are due processes that request to beryllium followed and truthful it wouldn’t beryllium due for maine to remark connected those.

“What I tin accidental is that evidently the UK Government’s presumption remains that we judge the absorption should beryllium connected getting a ceasefire successful Gaza.”

Downing Street backed the ICC connected Thursday aft it issued the apprehension warrants, saying the Government respected the independency of the court.

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.

The Prime Minister’s authoritative spokesperson said the ICC, based successful The Hague, Netherlands, is “the superior planetary instauration for investigating and prosecuting the astir superior crimes of planetary concern”.

A home tribunal process would beryllium required earlier Mr Netanyahu faced apprehension if helium acceptable ft successful the UK.

The spokesperson besides declined to get into “hypotheticals” erstwhile asked connected Thursday whether Mr Netanyahu would beryllium arrested if helium came to the UK.

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.

She said: “The Labour Government indispensable condemn and situation the ICC’s decision.”

Before the wide predetermination successful July, Tory ministers had been considering a ineligible situation to the issuing of apprehension warrants, but the Labour medication dropped that idea, saying it was a substance for the court.

The ICC said determination are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant were liable for “the warfare transgression of starvation arsenic a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and different inhumane acts”.

The court’s pre-trial enclosure besides recovered “reasonable grounds to judge that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant each carnivore transgression work arsenic civilian superiors for the warfare transgression of intentionally directing an onslaught against the civilian population”.

The interaction of the warrants is apt to beryllium constricted since Israel and its large ally, the US, are not members of the ICC.