UK withdraws challenge to ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu

• The warrants were sought for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
• The UK had until Friday to submit its questions to the ICC in The Hague.
• The US is set to challenge the court’s authority to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu.

On Friday, Downing Street confirmed that the UK’s new government will drop its challenge to the arrest warrants sought by an international court’s prosecutor for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government informed the International Criminal Court (ICC) of its intention to challenge prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants in May. The warrants were sought for Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The UK had until Friday to submit its questions to the court in The Hague, but the recently elected Labour government has confirmed it will not proceed with Sunak’s plan.

“This was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

“I think you would note that the courts have already received several submissions on either side, so they are well seized of the arguments to make their independent determinations,” she added.

Labor, led by former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer, swept to power on July 4, defeating the Tories in a landslide general election win. Since then, it has announced the resumption of funding for the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Sunak had paused following Israeli claims that UNRWA members participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel.

Labor is pushing for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas militants in Gaza and for the release of hostages. Meanwhile, Israel's top ally, the United States, is still set to challenge the court’s authority to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu.

Khan is seeking warrants against not only Netanyahu and Gallant but also top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. If ICC judges grant these warrants, any of the 124 ICC member states would technically be obligated to arrest Netanyahu and the others if they traveled there. However, the court lacks a mechanism to enforce its orders.

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