The UK government is facing a challenge regarding its stance on supporting an international criminal court inquiry into potential war crimes committed by Israel. David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, has called for all parties to uphold international law.
Gen Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, has asserted jurisdiction, but the government under Boris Johnson has stated that the court has no legal right to interfere.
Both the UK and the US opposed the involvement of the ICC in Israel in 2021. After five years of preliminary inquiry, judges confirmed that Palestine’s status as an occupied territory does not prevent an ICC investigation.
In April 2021, Johnson reassured pro-Israeli MPs in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel that the government opposes an ICC investigation into alleged war crimes.
The Trump administration in the US also rejected ICC involvement, arguing that Palestinians do not qualify as a sovereign state.
The state department stated that unilateral judicial actions exacerbate tensions and hinder efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution.
The Conservatives have not indicated a change in their support for Johnson’s legal analysis.
In August, the UK opposed a reference to the international court of justice.
In a recent article in The Guardian, Khan emphasized that his office has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in Palestine, including current events in Gaza and the West Bank.
Lammy stated that all parties must uphold international law and that allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law should be taken seriously. He expressed support for the independence of the international criminal court and its jurisdiction to address the conduct of all parties in Gaza.
The article is from www.theguardian.com.
2023-11-12 18:49:31