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Netanyahu turned down meeting with UK FM over London’s ICC position: Report

Sunday, 18 August 2024 7:31 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 18 August 2024 7:31 AM ]

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy (L) and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly refused to meet with visiting British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, after the new Labour government decided to allow the warrants at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against senior Israeli officials to go ahead.

Israel’s Channel 13 news reported that the British government made multiple requests for a sit-down meeting between Netanyahu and Lammy, but was told that the 74-year-old chairman of the Likud party had a scheduling conflict.

The network noted that Netanyahu was angered by the new British government’s decision to withdraw its reservation for arrest warrants against himself, and Israeli minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant at the Hague-based international tribunal.

Lammy visited the Israeli-occupied territories on a joint trip with his French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné. They met Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

The top British diplomat’s trip was focused primarily on potential retaliatory attacks by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group over recent Israeli assassinations of resistance figures, with the Tel Aviv regime hoping for British support to fend off any possible operation.

Majority of UK public backs ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders: Poll

The poll found that 84 percent of the UK public believes Netanyahu and Gallant should be arrested if they enter British jurisdiction.

In May, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan filed a request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over Israel’s war on Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children are killed.

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on July 26 that the country will withdraw the previous government’s objection to the ICC’s request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

The spokesperson said that the decision of whether or not to issue the warrants is for the court to make.

“On the ICC submission… I can confirm the government will not be pursuing (the proposal) in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on,” the spokesperson told reporters.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

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Israel Palestine Britain Middle East ICC Gaza war Gaza Strip Netanyahu Israeli military palestinians David Lammy Foreign Secretary Arrest warrant Yoav Gallant