LONDON (AP) 鈥� British Prime Minister Keir Starmer鈥檚 office said Friday that the U.K. will not interfere with the International Criminal Court鈥檚 request for an arrest warrant against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement is reversal of plans announced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was ousted earlier this month when Starmer's Labour Party swept Conservatives from office in a landslide.
鈥淭his was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide,鈥� a Starmer spokesperson said.
The court鈥檚 prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas leaders 鈥� Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh 鈥� .
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and supported Israel鈥檚 right to defend itself against Hamas 鈥� as did Sunak.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan sought warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in May over Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza, a symbolic blow that deepened Israel鈥檚 isolation over the war in Gaza.
Israel is not a member of the court. Even if warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution. But the threat of arrest could make it harder for them to travel.
The ICC had set a deadline for Friday for the government to file a challenge.
Starmer鈥檚 decision puts the U.K. at odds with America, though his office on Friday described the decision as based in a strong belief in the separation of powers and the rule of law domestically and internationally.
The issue is a tricky one for Starmer and his party.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has been under pressure from his party to take a tougher stand on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. London has also been the scene of huge protests decrying Israel鈥檚 actions intended to root out Hamas militants and has also reported record levels of antisemitic incidents.
Labour lost support and seats they had been expected to win after Starmer initially refused to call for a cease fire shortly after Israel retaliated for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. The party is still recovering from the stain of a scandal involving against the leadership of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer recently restored funding for the United Nations鈥� Palestine relief agency UNRWA, which had been suspended by Sunak's government in January.
He has also said the Palestinian state has an 鈥渦ndeniable right鈥� to be recognized as part of a peace process.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International U.K.鈥檚 chief executive applauded Starmer's decision not to challenge the action at the Hague court.
鈥淭his was a totally misguided intervention by the last government," Deshmukh said. 鈥淚nstead of trying to thwart the ICC鈥檚 much-needed Palestine investigation, the U.K. should be backing efforts to bring all perpetrators of war crimes and possible genocide to justice.鈥�
Danica Kirka And Brian Melley, The Associated Press
