news

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Britain's support for Israel may be reversed. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a spokesman for British Prime Minister Starmer said on the 26th local time that Britain has abandoned its plan to interfere with the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

British new Prime Minister Starmer (Visual China)

The spokesman reportedly said this was a submission from the previous Conservative government and was not submitted before the UK general election, and the new Labour government would not proceed with it, "which is consistent with our long-standing position that this is an issue for the court to decide."

In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Galant. Under former Prime Minister Sunak, the UK launched a legal challenge to the ICC's jurisdiction over Israeli citizens. The ICC initially asked the British government to make an opinion by July 12, and later extended the deadline to July 26, but the new British government chose not to act.

According to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted a statement from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry on the 26th as saying that the British government's decision was a "manifestation of justice" and that Palestine appreciated Britain's decision to uphold human rights and international law, and stated that this position will strengthen cooperation between Palestine and Britain in the future.

The move makes it more likely that the ICC will approve the prosecutor's request and puts Netanyahu at risk of arrest when he travels abroad, The Guardian reported. The move also reverses months of British policy, as the previous government firmly supported Israel and wanted to closely follow the US position.

The UK will make more changes to its policies toward Israel under the leadership of the Labour Party. The Guardian reported that British Foreign Secretary Lamy had previously announced that the UK would overturn the decision of the previous government and, together with other countries, resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and was preparing to announce the results of a review of whether Israel had violated international law. Another source told the Guardian that cabinet ministers were considering a ban on the sale of "offensive" weapons to Israel, but would not ban the sale of "defensive" weapons that could be used to defend Israel from external attacks.

According to a report by The Times on the 28th, British Attorney General Helmer also hinted during a meeting with Israeli officials that Britain's legal position on the Palestinian-Israeli issue was changing. (Chen Jiacun)