UK can arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits country based on ICC warrant

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Refusing to comment on whether UK police would specifically detain Netanyahu, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson told reporters that he would not "get into hypotheticals in relation to individual cases".

"The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law," he said.

Britain is bound by the Rome Statute, the international treaty that was created by the ICC in 1998 and ratified it three years later.

According to the UK's ICC Act 2001, when a government minister receives a request from the ICC for the arrest of an indictee they "shall transmit the request and the documents accompanying it" to an appropriate court.

"If the request is accompanied by a warrant of arrest and the appropriate judicial officer is satisfied that the warrant appears to have been issued by the ICC, he shall endorse the warrant for execution in the United Kingdom," the act adds.

The ICC alleges that Netanyahu and Gallant committed crimes such as murder, persecution, and inhumane acts, as well as using starvation as a method of warfare.

The Israeli leaders are accused of restricting essential supplies, including food, water, and medical aid, to civilians in Gaza, resulting in severe humanitarian crises and deaths, including those of children.

These alleged actions occurred during Israel's retaliatory attacks on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 last year. The conflict has led to thousands of civilian deaths and widespread displacement, with critical infrastructure in Gaza, such as hospitals and schools, being destroyed.

The ICC stated it had reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant intentionally targeted civilians and restricted medical supplies, leading to unsafe medical procedures and immense suffering. The findings focus on events from October 8, 2023, to at least May 20, 2024.