Will Israel’s PM be arrested? – 29 November 2024
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued warrants for the arrest of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his ex-defence minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes.
Getty
Benjamin Netanyah
There’s also a warrant to arrest Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who Israel says was killed in July.
The ICC is an international court based in the Netherlands that investigates people it believes are responsible for serious crimes.
Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that runs Gaza, have been at war since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year. Over 1,200 people in Israel and around 44,000 in Gaza have died.
The court believes that all three men bear responsibility for crimes during the war, including murder, taking hostages and starving civilians.
The warrants mean that they may be arrested if they enter the ICC’s member countries. While the UK and the USA are both allies (friends) of Israel, the UK is a member of the ICC and the USA isn’t.
What has the UK said?
A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would “always comply with its legal obligations as set out by… international law”. This suggests that Mr Netanyahu may be arrested if he enters the UK.
What has the USA said?
President Joe Biden called the warrant against Mr Netanyahu “outrageous” and said: “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
