By Mehmet Solmaz
BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) – The question of executing the international arrest warrant for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former defense minister will be determined by a process in the courts, said a top British official on Monday.
Former British Home Secretary Priti Patel had asked the government its response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, a former defense minister, for war crimes in Gaza.
"The government will comply with our international obligations," said Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Hamish Falconer in response, adding: "There is a domestic and legal process through our independent courts that determines whether to endorse an arrest warrant by the ICC.”
He also said: "This process has never been tested because the UK has never been visited by an ICC indictee."
Falconer says parliament has a common position about the international rule of law being an “important commitment.”
“The International Criminal Court is an important, the primary body, in enforcing these norms and the issues on jurisdiction and complementarity were heard by the pre Trial Chamber. Three judges have issued their findings, and I think we should respect those.”
All the actions of the current government will be “guided” by international law, he said.
The ICC last week announced the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024" in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s genocidal offensive in Gaza continues since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and have killed more than 44,000 people, mostly women and children.
The onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the enclave, and a deliberate blockade has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.