UK's position on ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu as US rejects orders

The International Criminal Court has issued an apprehension warrant has been issued for Benjamin Netanyahu implicit alleged warfare crimes - but what is the UK's position?

The determination to contented an apprehension warrant to the Israeli premier minister, arsenic good arsenic Israel's erstwhile defence curate Yoav Gallant and Hamas subject person Mohammed Deif, is of momentous significance. It is the archetypal clip that leaders of a ideology and Western-aligned authorities person ever been charged by the tribunal successful its 22-year history.

The UK is simply a signatory of the ICC. While the Netherlands-based tribunal cannot enforce arrests, signatory states are obliged to apprehend those facing warrants. It means the men are present astatine hazard of apprehension if they question to immoderate of the 124 countries that signed the statute establishing the court.

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 Mr Netanyahu and Mr 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 three-judge sheet besides said it had recovered tenable grounds to judge Mr Deif was liable for crimes against humanity and warfare crimes. They included murder, torture, rape and hostage-taking.

The Mirror has summed up however the UK has responded to the ICC's apprehension warrants.

What has No10 said?

On Thursday, not agelong aft the ICC announced its decision, Downing Street would not accidental whether Mr Netanyahu would beryllium detained were helium to sojourn the UK.

When asked whether Britain would obey the warrant, Keir Starmer's spokesperson said: "We are not going to get into hypotheticals. We stay focused connected pushing for an contiguous ceasefire to bring an extremity to the devastating violence."

However, No10 did support its enactment of the ICC and said the Government respected the independency of the planetary court. The Prime Minister's authoritative spokesperson said the court, based successful The Hague, was "the superior planetary instauration for investigating and prosecuting the astir superior crimes of planetary concern".

While supporting the ICC, the spokesperson besides echoed critics claiming the tribunal was drafting a motivation equivalence betwixt the authorities of a ideology and a radical banned arsenic a violent organisation successful galore countries, including the UK. He said: "This Government has been wide that Israel has a close to support itself successful accordance with planetary law. There is nary motivation equivalence betwixt Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are violent organisations.

"We stay focused connected pushing for an contiguous ceasefire to bring an extremity to the devastating unit successful Gaza which is indispensable to support civilians, guarantee the merchandise of hostages, and to summation humanitarian assistance into Gaza."

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

Have immoderate authorities ministers said anything?

On Friday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refused to accidental whether Mr Netanyahu would look apprehension if helium came to the UK. She said determination are "proper Government processes that request to beryllium followed" if International Criminal Court investigations ever go an contented for the UK.

Asked whether she volition beryllium seeking an apprehension warrant if the Government decided to enforce the ICC decision, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Times Radio: "No, arsenic I said determination are due ineligible processes." She added: "There are due Government processes that request to beryllium followed if International Criminal Court investigations ever go a substance for the UK. In the immense bulk of processes, successful the immense bulk of cases they ne'er do. So those are not issues that it's due for maine to remark on."

More widely, Ms Cooper said: "What I tin accidental is that evidently we've ever respected the independency of the International Criminal Court, but those issues are that they analyse our matters for them alternatively than for the government. And our authorities presumption remains, our absorption remains connected pushing for an contiguous ceasefire successful the Middle East."

What person different UK politicians said?

Shadow overseas caput Dame Priti Patel said the warrants were "concerning and provocative". She criticised the ICC for drafting a "moral equivalence" betwixt Israel's actions successful Gaza and the Hamas violent atrocity connected October 7, 2023, which triggered the subject response. She said: "The Labour Government indispensable condemn and situation the ICC's decision."

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

Liberal Democrat overseas affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said: "The erstwhile Conservative authorities denigrated the International Criminal Court and undermined the UK's lasting connected the world stage. It is captious that the caller Government complies with our obligations nether planetary instrumentality by committing to upholding this ruling, including enforcing apprehension warrant."

Former Labour person Jeremy Corbyn and his Independent Alliance radical of MPs wrote to Sir Keir urging him to corroborate the UK would enforce the apprehension warrants. SNP Westminster person Stephen Flynn, Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer besides urged an extremity to UK arms income to Israel.

What person different countries astir the satellite said?

Last night, the US, which is not a subordinate of the ICC, fiercely denounced the decision. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said: "The United States fundamentally rejects the court's determination to contented apprehension warrants for elder Israeli officials. We stay profoundly acrophobic by the prosecutor's unreserved to question apprehension warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision." They added: "The United States has been wide that the ICC does not person jurisdiction implicit this matter."

Last twelvemonth US president Joe Biden welcomed the ICC's determination to contented an apprehension warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said it was "justified,” adding: “But the question is – [the ICC is] not recognised internationally by america either. But I deliberation it makes a precise beardown point.”

In Europe, Italy and the Netherlands person said they would apprehension immoderate of the men if they sojourn their countries.

What has Israel said?

Mr Netanyahu instantly denounced the ICC's determination arsenic "anti-Semitic". His spokesperson said: "Israel utterly rejects the mendacious and absurd charges of [the ICC], a biased and discriminatory governmental body."

Israel's President Isaac Herzog called it "a acheronian time for justness and humanity", saying the determination had "chosen the broadside of panic and evil implicit ideology and freedom".

Meanwhile Hamas welcomed the decision, but did not remark connected the contented of a warrant being issues for its ain subject commander, Mr Deif. In a connection it said: "We telephone connected each countries astir the satellite to cooperate with the tribunal successful bringing the Zionist warfare criminals, Netanyahu and Gallant and to enactment instantly to halt the crimes of genocide against defenceless civilians successful the Gaza Strip.