US Pressures UK to Uphold Legal Challenge Against Netanyahu for War Crimes
In a recent article published in The Guardian, human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson revealed that the US is pressuring the UK to maintain its legal challenge against the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes against Palestinians.
The ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has formally requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes, including deliberately targeting civilians and causing starvation among other crimes. Despite the ongoing war in Gaza resulting in the death of thousands of Palestinians, the UK’s former Conservative government challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction over Israeli actions. The US now expects Prime Minister Keir Starmer to continue this policy.
Robertson warns that giving in to US pressure would be a moral mistake, as the ICC has until July 26 to decide on the legal challenge delaying the issuance of arrest warrants. He criticizes Britain’s argument as “preposterous,” emphasizing that Palestine is an ICC member state, giving the court jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory.