LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said Friday that Britain will not intervene in the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement reverses plans announced by former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was ousted from power earlier this month when Starmer’s Labour Party defeated the Conservatives in a landslide victory.
“This was a proposal made by the previous government and was not put forward before the election. I can confirm that the government will not pursue it, in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the courts to decide,” a spokesman for Mr Starmer said.
The court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, filed charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and three Hamas leaders – Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza and Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders denounced the move as shameful and anti-Semitic. US President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutors and, like Sunak, supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
Khan sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in May over Israel’s Gaza war, a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the Gaza war.
Israel is not a member state of the court, and Netanyahu and Gallant are not at immediate risk of indictment if arrest warrants are issued, but the threat of arrest could make it difficult for them to travel.
The ICC had set a deadline of Friday for the government to file an appeal.
Starmer’s decision has put Britain at odds with the US, but his office said on Friday it was based on his strong belief in the separation of powers and the rule of law at home and abroad.
But the issue is a difficult one for Starmer and his party.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has come under pressure from his party to take a tougher stance on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, particularly as the death toll rises, mass protests have also been held in London condemning Israel’s efforts to root out Hamas militants and a record number of anti-Semitic incidents have been reported.
Labour lost the support and seats it had hoped to gain after Starmer initially refused to call for a ceasefire in the aftermath of Israel’s retaliatory action against Hamas militants on October 7. Allegations of Anti-Semitism He opposed the leadership of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Nomi Bahyaakov, an associate fellow at the London think tank Chatham House, said Starmer’s position on Israel was moving away from that of close ally the United States as the scale of deaths and destruction in Gaza grew.
“I think he has changed his tune because there is no end in sight,” she said. “I think he is wary that the UK could be accused of complicity.”
Starmer restored funding to the UN Relief Agency for Palestine, which had been suspended by Sunak’s government in January, and said a Palestinian state had an “undeniable right” to be recognised as part of the peace process.
Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, praised Starmer’s decision not to challenge the action at the court in The Hague.
“This was a completely misguided intervention by the previous administration,” Deshmukh said. “Instead of trying to obstruct the ICC’s much-needed investigation into Palestine, the UK should be supporting efforts to bring all perpetrators of war crimes and potential genocide to justice.”
