Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face arrest if he travels to the UK, following an international arrest warrant issued against him, Downing Street has indicated.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on the specific case but said the government would “fulfill its legal obligations,” the BBC reports.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Member states of the court, including the UK, have signed an agreement obliging them to act on arrest warrants.
When asked if Netanyahu would be arrested if he entered the UK, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman declined to comment on “hypothetical situations” but said the “government would fulfill its obligations under that instrument and its legal obligations.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that the government would “always abide by its legal obligations, under domestic law and international law.”
He could not confirm which government secretary would be involved in the process and did not answer a question about whether the government was seeking legal advice from Attorney General Lord Havers on the matter.
UK law stipulates that courts have the final say on whether to execute an arrest warrant and extradite a suspect.
Source: NovaS Foto: Benjamin Netanjahu/EPA-EFE/NIR ELIAS
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