Caabu Press Release: The UK must comply with the ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant
21 November 2024
Caabu welcomes the decision by the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant and calls on the UK government to uphold this with immediate effect.
Chris Doyle, Caabu Director, said “This decision highlights how woefully the UK government has handled the situation of Israeli atrocities and war crimes. It has failed to hold Israel accountable. It now must demonstrate, with concrete action, that this government will honour its pledge to uphold respect for international law and the ICC by abiding in full with the ICC decision.
Given the scale of atrocities and war crimes committed, as stipulated by the ICC prosecutor, the UK government needs to do far more to hold all parties to account.
As a government that claims it is committed to international law, it is untenable for the UK government to continue any sale of arms to Israel while atrocity crimes are carried out in the Gaza Strip. A full arms embargo on Israel needs to be declared. It should cease all military and security cooperation immediately.
If the UK does not fully comply with the ICC arrest warrants, it runs the risk of complicity with severe crimes against humanity and war crimes, such as forced displacement, apartheid, extermination and genocide. The UK’s reputation globally would be trashed.
The ICC arrest warrants are an important step in ensuring proper accountability and justice for Palestinians. However, there is no time to wait – justice delayed is justice denied, and the UK needs to uphold international law, accountability, and ensure justice, with immediate effect and comply with these arrest warrants.
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Notes to editors:
- For more information or interviews contact Chris Doyle on +44 (0)7968 040281
