New UK government drops challenge to ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Britain, a member state of the ICC, had previously sought the court’s observations on whether it could exercise jurisdiction over Israelis “in circumstances where Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals (under) the Oslo Accords.”

However, with the Labour Party clinching power following the July 4 election, a Downing Street spokesperson stated that the new government would abandon the query “in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on”. The spokesperson added, “The government believes very strongly in the rule of law, both internationally and domestically, and the separation of powers.”

Israel and the US, both of which are not signatories to the ICC, had pressured the UK to maintain its objection, cautioning that withdrawing it could jeopardise peace negotiations being facilitated by Washington.

While the Conservative government had frequently resisted supranational jurisdictions, including those of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, the newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former lawyer, has adopted a different stance. Last week, he assured European leaders that his government would uphold a “profound respect for international law’.

The ICC, which investigates war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been examining both sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 2021. In that year, it ruled that it did have jurisdiction after Palestinian authorities joined the court in 2015, following their confirmed status as a United Nations observer state. However, the court deferred a decision on the interpretation of the 1993 Oslo Accords concerning Palestinian jurisdiction over Israeli nationals.

(With inputs from Reuters)