UK to follow 'due process' were Netanyahu to visit: FM Lammy
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Britain would follow legal procedures if Benjamin Netanyahu visited, Foreign Minister David Lammy says, regarding the ICC's arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister.
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Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on October 18, 2024. (AP)
Britain would adhere to the proper legal procedures were Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the UK, Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Monday, in response to a question about whether London would comply with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister.
Lammy told reporters at a G7 meeting in Italy, "We are signatories to the Rome Statute, we have always been committed to our obligations under international law and international humanitarian law."
"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."
On the same note, the British government stated on Friday that Netanyahu may be detained on an International Criminal Court arrest order if he travels to the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson refused to comment on whether UK police would hold Netanyahu, saying he would not "get into hypotheticals in relation to individual cases." He did say, however, that the UK would "always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law."
Read next: Reactions to Netanyahu, Gallant ICC arrest warrants pour in
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on November 21 arrest warrants for Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of "crimes against humanity and war crimes."
This marked a significant escalation in legal actions concerning the war on Gaza, obliging the ICC’s 124 member states to detain Netanyahu and Gallant should they enter their territory. The court announced its unanimous rejection of "Israel's" appeal challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction.
The ICC stated that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare." It also indicated that they "intentionally and knowingly deprived" Gaza’s civilian population of essential resources, including food, water, medical supplies, and fuel.
