Daily Discussion - November 21, 2024

استارمر نتنیاہو کو بین الاقوامی جرمی عدالت کی بس کے نیچے پھینکتا ہے: برطانیہ اسرائیلی وزیر اعظم کے لیے گرفتاری کا وارنٹ سپورٹ کرتی ہے

Sir Keir Starmer has backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

When asked about the issue, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said the Government respected the independence of the court.

He declined to say whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK.

The spokesman said: “We respect the independence of the ICC, which is the primary institutional institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes in relation to international law.

“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 terror groups.

“We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the devastating violence in Gaza.”

Under the Conservatives, the British government had told the court it intended to challenge the plans for the arrest warrants.

However, weeks after coming to power, Sir Keir’s government reversed that position and said it would not object.

Downing Street also declined to say whether Mr Netanyahu would be welcome to visit Britain in the future.

Sir Keir’s spokesman said: “We never comment on future international visits but my position on the Prime Minister’s support for Israel in terms of its right to defend itself in accordance with international law is very clear.”

The spokesman repeatedly declined to “go into hypotheticals” about whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK.

He added: “It’s not up to the Prime Minister to determine other world leaders’ travel schedules. He engages and will continue to engage with the prime minister of Israel in support of Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Pressed on what he meant by his comments about the court, the spokesman said: “It means that we respect the independence of the ICC. We respect the fact that the ICC is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern.”

The spokesman went on to say the Government’s “focus” remained an end to the violence in the Middle East, which has been ongoing for more than a year after the Oct 7 terror attacks by Hamas.

بین الاقوامی جرمی عدالت نے نتنیاہو کے لیے گرفتاری کا وارنٹ جاری کیا

The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the former Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Karim Khan, the court’s chief prosecutor, had requested the arrest warrants in May for the two Israelis, alongside three top Hamas officials. Israel has fiercely contested the court’s allegations, which include the use of starvation as a weapon of war and “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”

The court on Thursday also…   issued a warrant for the arrest of Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s military chief, for crimes against humanity, including murder, hostage taking and sexual violence. Israel said in August that it had killed Mr. Deif. Mr. Khan had also sought arrest warrants for Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and Ismail Haniyeh, another top figure in the militant group, both of whom were later killed by Israel.The warrants added to Israel’s declining legitimacy on the world stage, where it has faced increasingly fierce condemnation over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel insists that it fights in accordance with the international laws of war.