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

November 27 2024 , 07:19 PM  •  331 views

UK might arrest Israeli leader: Top diplomat reveals legal duty that shocked allies

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

David Lammy stated

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