UK fears political unrest if ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu

The UK fears political unrest if it is asked by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to support an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Britain, which has long supported Israel’s alleged “right to defend itself” by killing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including 15,000 children, believes that should the ICC’s pre-trial chamber judges agree to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials for their war crimes in Gaza, a political fallout many ensue in the UK.

The ICC requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in May, saying they “bear criminal responsibility” for “war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023.”

The war crimes listed include “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”; “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population”; “extermination and/or murder … including in the context of deaths caused by starvation”; “persecution as a crime against humanity”, among others.

The UK was due to provide written observations on whether “the Court can exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, in circumstances where Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals (under) the Oslo Accords”.

However after it held an election in July, the new government announced that it would not proceed with these efforts.

The Guardian newspaper reported that the government fears the strong anti-Iran lobby will question why the UK is prioritising arresting the head of Israel, an ally, while not proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

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