105 MPs urge UK government to support ICC's 'Israel' arrest warrants
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The letter states that the UK must stand against any attempts to intimidate an independent and impartial international court.
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Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, speaks with David Cameron at the Horse Guards parade in London, Tuesday, November 21, 2023. (AP)
A letter has been sent to UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by 105 MPs and Lords from 11 parties urging the government "to do all it can to support the international criminal court" after the duo called the ICC arrest warrants "deeply unhelpful".
The letter stated that the government must stand against any attempts to intimidate an independent and impartial international court, adding that "the court, its prosecutor, and all its staff must be free to pursue justice without fear or favour."
Labour MPs Richard Burgon and Imran Hussain, who initiated the letter, said, "There is mounting evidence that Israel has committed clear and obvious violations of international law in Gaza and we strongly believe that those responsible must be held to account."
The ICC is seeking arrest warrants for the Israeli occupation's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Palestinian Resistance leaders.
Charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include "causing extermination, using starvation as a method of war by denying humanitarian relief supplies, and deliberately targeting civilians in conflict."
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Khan stressed, "Nobody is above the law" and advised "Israel" to "challenge the jurisdiction before the court judges" if they disagree with the ICC.
Netanyahu described the measures of the ICC to issue arrest warrants against him and Security Minister Yoav Gallant as "anti-semitic" and confirmed that they will not constrain "Israel" in its war on Gaza.
"With what audacity do you dare compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the [IOF], the most moral army in the world?" he said.
The Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Karim Khan stated that his office is filing applications for arrest warrants before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC against Netanyahu and Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the "territory of the State of Palestine," in the Gaza Strip, from at least October 8, 2023. This was the first action of its kind taken against any major US partner.
