The new Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has confirmed that it will not pursue questions regarding the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. This decision comes after the ICC prosecutor applied for arrest warrants for the Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza. The UK, as an ICC member state, had previously filed a request to provide written observations on this matter, but the new government has announced that it will not be pursuing this proposal.
The government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had managed to gain court approval to submit arguments on this issue before the July 4 general elections, which the Conservatives lost. However, the new Labour government has decided not to pursue this matter further. Since winning a landslide victory three weeks ago, the Labour Party and its new government have announced a series of shifts from the policies of the previous administration.
This decision by the UK government to not pursue questions on the ICC’s jurisdiction in relation to the arrest warrants for the Israeli officials signals a change in approach from the previous administration. It remains to be seen how this decision will be received by the international community and how it will impact the UK’s relationship with the ICC and other countries involved in the matter.
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