UK drops ICC jurisdiction challenge over Netanyahu arrest warrant
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The UK prime minister's spokesperson confirmed Britain will no longer pursue the Conservative government's formal claim to the ICC, claiming the court does not have jurisdiction over Israeli settlers.
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A demonstrator poses with a Palestinian flag outside the International Criminal Court during a rally urging the court to prosecute "Israel" for war crimes, in The Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2019. (AP)
Britain announced on Friday that it would no longer pursue efforts to challenge the International Criminal Court's (ICC) jurisdiction over Israeli settlers in the court's process to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
"On the ICC submission... I can confirm the government will not be pursuing (the proposal) in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson told reporters.
On June 10, the former Conservative government filed a formal claim 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."
The Tory government was given until July 12 to hand in their full claim but did not end up submitting the proposal.
UK PM Starmer to drop delay on Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant
The Labour Party was voted into power earlier this month following the UK's general elections, headed by Prime Minister Starmer who pledged to drop the previous bid by the Conservative government over the ICC arrest warrants.
Starmer spoke to both the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu on July 7.
Starmer spoke to Abbas about Gaza’s "ongoing suffering and devastating loss of life," and expressed his belief that Palestine has the right to sovereignty.
During his phone call with Netanyahu, Starmer urged for the prime minister to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that "it was also important to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively."
Labour officials reiterated the party's stance on the ICC’s jurisdiction over Gaza, countering the previous Conservative government's formal claim on June 10 that the court does not have jurisdiction over Israeli settlers.
The UK was given until July 12 by the ICC's pre-trial chamber to submit their full claim, but it seems that the new Tory government will not go ahead with this, thus lifting the delay on the request for arrest warrants.
