UK will not oppose ICC in issuing arrest warrant for Israel’s PM

The United Kingdom will not oppose the ICC (the International Criminal Court) in issuing an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The matter is solely one for the court and the UK believes "strongly in the rule of law and separation of powers," a Downing Street spokesperson said on Friday. Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government will not pursue an objection to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. The decision was neither an objection to nor an endorsement of the ICC's case against Netanyahu. But under Rishi Sunak's Tory government, the UK had considered challenging the right of the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant. "The government believes strongly in the rule of law and separation of powers," the official spokesperson said, adding that the court should make independent decisions. The arrest warrants were issued against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza following the October 7 att acks by Hamas, which killed around 1,200 people and saw roughly 240 people taken hostage. More than 100 remain unaccounted for. The Hamas-run health ministry has said almost 40,000 Palestinians have died in the territory since October 7, while Gazans struggle to cope with shortages of food, water, medicine and functioning hospitals. Source: Kuwait News Agency