UK might arrest Israeli leader: Top diplomat reveals legal duty that shocked allies
British foreign minister explains mandatory legal steps if Israeli PM visits UK‚ differing from other western nations stance. France and US reject similar actions‚ leaving Britain in unique position
In a surprising-development‚ David Lammy outlined UKʼs legal requirements regarding Israeli leaderʼs potential visit. Speaking at the foreign affairs committee he explained that British law dont give him any choice but to request an arrest-warrant through courts
Under section two of the ICC legislation‚ there is an obligation on me to transmit to the courts should those named seek to come into our country
The situation comes after ICC (International Criminal Court) issued warrants about a week ago targeting:
- Benjamin Netanyahu - Israeli prime-minister
- Yoav Gallant - defence minister
- Mohammed Deif - Hamas leader
France made its position clear yesterday; stating they wont arrest Israeli PM due to immunity rules - making UK stand alone among G7 partners. The French foreign-ministry pointed out that non-ICC members have special protections
Joe Biden showed strong disagreement with ICCʼs decision: “Whatever the ICC might imply there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas“ he said - calling the warrant outrageous. The US president continues backing Israelʼs security interests
Lammy mentioned that courts will need to consider UKʼs obligations under Rome Statute which includes diplomatic immunity provisions; this might affect their final decision. The ICC judges found reasonable-grounds to assign criminal responsibility to all three leaders for war-related actions
