Yvette Cooper has refused to say whether or not Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrested if he got here to the UK, regardless of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister.
She mentioned “there are proper processes that need to be followed”, including that it wouldn’t be applicable for the house secretary “to comment on individual cases in a speculative way”.
On Thursday, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defence minister, over alleged conflict crimes in Gaza.
The ICC additionally issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing, over the October 7 2023 assaults that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Israel is believed to have killed Deif in an airstrike, however Hamas has by no means confirmed his demise.
Asked to might verify whether or not Mr Netanyahu could be arrested if he arrived within the UK, the house secretary mentioned: “That’s not a matter for me as home secretary as the International Criminal Court is, of course, independent, and we respect its independence and the role that it has to play.”
“In the overwhelming majority of international criminal court investigations, they never become a matter for either the British legal rule and law enforcement processes or for the British government.
“In any case, whether they ever do, there are proper processes that need to be followed, and therefore it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on those”, she instructed Sky News.
Pressed on the problem, Ms Cooper mentioned: “We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court. That has long been our case.
“But as I’ve said, in the majority of the cases that they pursue, they don’t become part of the British legal process or the British government processes.
“On those cases where they do, there are important processes that need to be followed, and that’s why it wouldn’t be appropriate for me as the home secretary, to comment on individual cases in a speculative way”.
She added that the federal government believes the “focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza”.
On Thursday, Downing Street mentioned the federal government revered the independence of the ICC after the warrants had been issued.
A home court docket course of could be required earlier than Mr Netanyahu confronted arrest if he set foot within the UK.
The issuing of warrants for the Israeli prime minister and ex-defence minister together with a Hamas chief, led to critics claiming the court docket was drawing an ethical equivalence between the federal government of a democracy and a gaggle banned as a terrorist organisation in lots of nations, together with the UK.
Shadow overseas secretary Dame Priti Patel mentioned the warrants had been “concerning and provocative”, calling for the federal government to “condemn and challenge” the ICC ruling.
She criticised the ICC for drawing a “moral equivalence” between Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist atrocity on October 7, 2023, which triggered the army response.
On Thursday, the prime minister’s official spokesman mentioned: “This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law.
“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.
“We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza which is essential to protect civilians, ensure the release of hostages, and to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Asked if Mr Netanyahu could be arrested if he got here to the UK, the spokesman mentioned: “We are not going to get into hypotheticals.”
The ICC mentioned there have been “reasonable grounds to believe” that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant had been liable for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
The ICC pre-trial chamber additionally discovered “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population”.
The influence of the warrants is prone to be restricted since Israel and its main ally, the United States, aren’t members of the ICC.
Mr Netanyahu mentioned Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” and “there is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/yvette-cooper-israel-netanyahu-arrest-icc-uk-b2651761.html