NETANYAHU FACES ARREST IF TRAVELLING TO THE UK

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been warned that he could be arrested if he enters the United Kingdom.

This comes after Downing Street indicated that an international arrest warrant was issued for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday.

Along with Netanyahu, an international arrest warrant has also been issued for Israel’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant. The warrants were issued over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The United Kingdom is obliged to act on the arrest warrants because they’re a member country of the ICC. All member countries are obliged to act on the warrants.

The International Criminal Court Act 2001 states that if the court issues a warrant for arrest, a designated minister “shall transmit the request… to an appropriate judicial officer”, who, if satisfied with the warrant appears to have been issued by the ICC, “shall endorse the warrant for execution in the United Kingdom”.

Other countries that are obliged to follow the ICC Act include Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In 2016, South Africa and The Gambia withdrew their membership but revoked their withdrawal before it came into effect.

Image credit: Channel 4