The British Foreign Secretary explained in a briefing to reporters that Britain is "committed to international law" and that it will enforce arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant if they arrive in England. The British Foreign Secretary explained in a briefing to reporters that Britain is "committed to international law" and that it will enforce arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant if they arrive in England.
It is worth noting that this sudden change of heart comes just 4 days after a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister's office responded to the decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, saying the UK did not commit to respecting the Hague court's ruling: "It is clear that Israel has the right to defend itself." "There is no place to compare Israel to Hamas and Hezbollah." Now a short time later they seem to have made a complete turnaround regarding the ICC's demands.
David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, announced today in a briefing to reporters that England "will act according to its laws and international obligations" if Prime Minister Netanyahu or Defense Minister Gallant enter its territory.
The British Foreign Office's announcement comes after, for about a week since the orders were published, the British government did not provide a direct answer to the question of whether it would enforce the orders and arrest Netanyahu or Gallant, causing an uproar in the British left-wing government.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to the orders on the day of their publication and distanced himself from the comparison between Hamas and Israel but did not commit to how he would act. A spokesperson for the Home Office explained in an interview that it is a matter "to be determined by the government on a case-by-case basis." Now, the British Labour government announces in no uncertain terms that it will detain Prime Minister Netanyahu or Defense Minister Gallant if they arrive on its sovereign territory.
