Downing Street: UK would comply with the law on Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant
Downing Street has hinted that Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK after an international arrest warrant was issued for him.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would “not get into hypotheticals” when asked if the Israeli prime minister would be detained if he arrived on British soil.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the process or provide commentary on individual cases,” he said.
But, PA Media reports, asked if the UK would comply with the law, he said: “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law.”
Home secretary Yvette Cooper was coy on the subject during her morning media round appearances earlier. She told viewers of Sky News “That’s not a matter for me as home secretary. What I can say is that obviously the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.”
On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she expanded on the position, saying:
The international criminal court is obviously independent. We respect the court, its independence, and we are clear of its role, which is different from the UK government’s role.
The vast majority of international criminal court cases do not become a matter for the UK legal processes, law enforcement processes, or for the UK Government.
In the event that they ever do, there are both proper legal processes that have to be followed and also proper government processes that have to be followed – and Foreign Office processes that have to be followed.
So for that reason, you would not expect me to, and I can’t, as home secretary, comment on how those legal processes would be implemented in any individual case. That would be speculative, because I have to respect that legal process.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said earlier today that Irish police would arrest Netanyahu if he arrived in Ireland, adding during an interview on RTÉ that “We support international courts and we apply their warrants.”
Alongside Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Spain are among EU states that have said they would meet their ICC commitments. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, however, has said he would invite Netanyahu to visit the country in defiance of the warrant.
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel labelled the ICC’s decision “deeply concerning and provocative”, while defeated Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, now shadow justice secretary, said “The UK should not enforce this farcical arrest warrant from a politicised court.”
Yesterday, Green party of England and Wales Carla Denyer said that the arrest warrants “make clear that to continue selling arms to Israel is to aid and abet war crimes” and that “the Government must recognise that their approach to the war in Gaza has failed.”
She said the government “must consider far more direct measures to incentivise a ceasefire,” including an “end to arms sales, [and] the introduction of divestments, boycotts and sanctions.”
The Liberal Democrats also backed the court, with foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller MP saying on Thursday “The previous Conservative government denigrated the international criminal court and undermined the UK’s standing on the world stage. It is vital that the new government complies with our obligations under international law by committing to upholding this ruling, including enforcing arrest warrants.”
Summary of the day …
- Downing Street has hinted that Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK after an international arrest warrant was issued for him. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would “not get into hypotheticals” but added “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law”