Benjamin Netanyahu risks being arrested if he enters Britain after a an international arrest warrant has been issued against himsaid Downing Street.

No 10 declined to comment explicitly on this individual case, saying it was a hypothetical situation, but said the UK would comply with its legal obligations.

This follows the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and Yoav Gallantformer Israeli Defense Minister, over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing, for the October 7, 2023 attacks that triggered the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Israel reportedly killed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas never confirmed his death.

Asked whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived on British soil, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said he could not “speak about specific cases”.

But asked whether the government would respect the law, he replied: “The UK will always respect its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and even international law. »

Number 10 said the domestic procedure relating to ICC arrest warrants has never been used to date by the UK because no person wanted by the International Court has visited the country .

Asked whether a Secretary of State would comply with the requirements of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “Yes, the Government would meet its obligations under the law and even its legal obligations. »

The law states that the Secretary of State must, upon receipt of a request for arrest from the ICC, “transmit the request and accompanying documents to a competent judicial officer”.

The spokesperson also said Sir Keir would continue to speak to Mr Netanyahu “to conduct the essential business of achieving a ceasefire in the Middle East”.

It comes after Interior Secretary Yvette Cooper Friday morning, he declined to say whether Mr. Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to the UK.

She said “there are appropriate procedures which must be followed”, adding that it would not be appropriate for the Home Secretary to “comment on individual cases in a speculative manner”.

“This is not a question for me as Home Secretary because the International Criminal Court is of course independent and we respect its independence and the role it must play,” she said. Sky News.

“In the overwhelming majority of investigations by international criminal tribunals, they are never the responsibility of either UK law enforcement processes or the UK government.

“Regardless of whether they ever do, there are proper processes that need to be followed, and so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on that.”

Ms Cooper added that the government believes “the focus should be on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza”.

A domestic legal process would be necessary before Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he set foot in the UK.

The issuance of arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister as well as a Hamas leader led to criticism that the court established a moral equivalence between ruling a democracy and a group banned as a terrorist organization in many countries, including the United Kingdom.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said the arrest warrants were “concerning and provocative”, calling on the government to “condemn and challenge” the ICC decision.

She criticized the ICC for drawing comparisons between Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist atrocities of October 7, 2023, which triggered the military response.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “This government has made clear that Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law.

“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organizations.

“We remain focused on pushing for an immediate ceasefire to end the devastating violence in Gaza, which is essential to protect civilians, secure the release of hostages and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza . »

The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant were responsible “for the war crime of starving as a method of warfare; and crimes against humanity such as murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber also found “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”

However, the impact of these arrest warrants is expected to be limited given that Israel and its main ally, the United States, are not members of the ICC.

Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and wrong actions” and that “there is nothing more just than the war that Israel is waging in Gaza.”