The United Kingdom signaled on Monday that it would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he paid a visit to the country.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest on Thursday, arguing that he had violated international law and committed humanitarian crimes in his oversight of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. The U.K. is one of the countries that has said that it will abide by the ICC’s ruling.
“We are signatories to the Rome Statute, we have always been committed to our obligations under international law and international humanitarian law,” U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy told reporters during an international summit in Italy on Monday. “Of course, if there were to be such a visit to the UK, there would be a court process and due process would be followed in relation to those issues.”
Israel does not, will not, recognize the validity of this decision. We will continue to do everything we must do to defend our citizens and to defend our state against Iran’s axis of terror. Iran and its terrorist proxies, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and others.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 21, 2024
Lammy’s comments are similar to those made by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on Friday.
“The U.K. will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law,” a spokesperson for Starmer said.
The U.K. is not the only Western nation that has vowed to follow the ICC’s ruling should Netanyahu travel to their countries. Canada, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria and Hungary have all said with certainty that they would arrest Netanyahu if given the opportunity.
“We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday. “This is just who we are as Canadians.”
The ICC had been pushing for Netanyahu’s arrest since May, and countries that have agreed to follow the court’s decisions — of which there are 124 — present a risk to Netanyahu if he chooses to travel to any of them. The U.S. and some other nations have said they will not follow the ICC’s decision or arrest Netanyahu.
The ICC has no mechanism to enforce its rulings on its own, instead relying on other countries to enforce its decisions.
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on Thursday. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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