The UK government has dropped plans to challenge the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In May, the chief prosecutor of the ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The previous Conservative UK government had indicated it planned to make a submission to the court, but had not done so before the election.
Now, a spokesperson for the new Labour government has said it will not be making a submission, saying it is "a matter for the court
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I think you would note that the courts have already received a number of submissions on either side, so they are well seized of the arguments to make their independent determinations."
In addition to Benjamin Netanyahu, the ICC's chief prosecutor is also seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Should the ICC proceed with the arrest warrants, the possibility could arise that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant would be asked not to set foot on British soil, to avoid being arrested by the UK authorities
The court has already authorised 70 similar submissions from other countries on the subject and is currently working through them.
Prof Yuval Shany, an expert on international law at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, predicts it will take until the autumn for the court to look at all the submissions and give the prosecutor time to respond if necessary.
Asked if the UK's decision would make any difference, he said: “Of course, the fact that a major country such as the UK has decided in the end not to submit is something that the judges will take note of.
“But the court still has to undertake the legal analysis regarding the questions that the previous [UK] government wanted to raise.”
He says the decision gives an indication of how the UK would react if the ICC were to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant.
“It would be difficult for the UK government, after deferring to the court… to simply shirk off and say I’m not going to implement it.”
A key issue at stake is whether the ICC can exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, in circumstances where the Palestinian Authority can not exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the terms of the Oslo Accords - a peace agreement in 1993.
In 2021, one of three ICC judges ruled the court could not exercise jurisdiction over Israelis, while two others ruled that this could be decided at a later stage.
Ahead of the UK's announcement, media outlets in Israel quoted a senior official as saying such a UK decision not to make a submission would be "fundamentally wrong", adding that it “distorts justice and truth, and violates the right of all democracies to fight terrorism".
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's chief executive, welcomed the UK's decision, calling the previous government's plan "totally misguided".
"Instead of trying to thwart the ICC's much-needed Palestine investigation, the UK should be backing efforts to bring all perpetrators of war crimes and possible genocide to justice."
The war in Gaza has proved to be politically tricky for Labour, with its stance upsetting many of its traditional supporters, particularly in the Muslim community.
In the recent general election, shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth lost his Leicester South seat to a strongly pro-Gaza candidate, while other senior party figures including Wes Streeting and Jess Phillips saw their majorities slashed.
Last week the government announced it was restoring funding to Unrwa, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees.
The UK had previously halted donations after Israel alleged 12 Unrwa staff were involved in the October 2023 attacks by Hamas.
An internal UN investigation into allegations related to that attack is ongoing.
But a separate UN review, published in April, found Israel had not provided evidence for its claims hundreds of Unrwa staff were members of terror groups.
Obrigardo: Exactly. I don't know why that is a problem for the Apocalyptic maga cultists cosplaying as christians. You can fight off two demons at once.
the people supporting this genocide are not christians, they are extremists
Obrigardo: She will cut off aid to netanyahu's regime unless Israel holds new elections and remove their zionist right wing elements. We can destroy Zionists and islamic radicals at the same time.
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Both Hamas and the extremist government in Israel should be removed from power
Well spoken madam president, God bless you and lovers of peace all over the world.
Be an action president ma'am, if Netanyahu refuses to listen, stop giving him weapons, draw the lines he should not cross, don't go down with him in history as an enabler of genocide, he should be known for that alone.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris - who's expected to be the Democratic nominee for November's presidential election - has held what she called "frank and constructive" talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden, Ms Harris said she made clear her "serious concerns" about casualties in Gaza, telling Mr Netanyahu how Israel defended itself mattered.
"It is time for this war to end," she said after their face-to-face talks at the White House.
Ms Harris also stressed the need for a path to a two-state solution, while calling on Americans to be aware of "nuance" on the conflict.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu met Mr Biden, who stepped down from his re-election campaign on Sunday.
Mr Netanyahu's meetings at the White House came a day after he gave a fiery speech to Congress, vowing “total victory” against Hamas, as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside.
The prime minister faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month. Mr Biden's staunch support of Israel has infuriated many left-wing activists, whose support the Democrats may need if they are to win November's presidential election.
Given that, there is also considerable interest in the position Ms Harris might take towards Israel should she replace Mr Biden in the White House.
After meeting Mr Netanyahu for about 40 minutes, Ms Harris said she had an "unwavering commitment" to Israel and its right to defend itself.
She noted the conflict began on 7 October when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 captives, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people.
"Israel has a right to defend itself. And how it does so matters," Ms Harris said, expressing concern about the "dire humanitarian situation" in Gaza.
"We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent," she said.
"Let's get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war," she added. "Let's bring the hostages home, and let's bring much-needed relief to the Palestinian people."
Mr Netanyahu is due to meet Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday
As he met Mr Biden earlier, the prime minister said he had known him for 40 years - and that the US president had known every Israeli premier over the last half a century.
"From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel," he said.
Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden "on the great issues before us" over the next several months.
The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli prime minister that he had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant.
At a news briefing, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu had discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach "compromises" in peace talks.
While Mr Kirby added that "gaps remain" in the US-Israel relationship, it was still "healthy".
"By healthy, I mean they're not going to agree on everything," Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was "very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister".
The US and Israeli leaders also held a closed-door meeting with the families of seven US citizens still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Following the meeting, Jonathan Dekel-Chen - whose son Sagui was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October - told reporters that the meeting was "productive and honest". He did not provide further details.
"We feel probably more optimistic than we have since the first round of releases in late November, early December," he said.
Former President Barack Obama is expected to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris soon and his team has been in touch with the campaign, a source told CNN.
Obama and Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, have been in touch regularly, and he is serving as a sounding board for her as he has over the 20 years they’ve known each other, the source said.
Obama, who didn’t immediately endorse Harris following President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was not seeking reelection, believed it was important for the Democratic Party to have a legitimate process through which delegates select their new nominee, and he thinks Harris is off to an impressive start, the source said.
News of Obama’s expected endorsement was first reported by NBC News.
Regarding Obama’s statement on Sunday, an adviser told CNN that the former president was taking the same approach as he did in the 2020 Democratic primary, watching closely with the intent of being able to unify the party when a nominee is chosen – whether it was Harris or someone else.
Obama’s statement was intended to keep the focus on Biden on the day he announced he was no longer seeking a second term, the adviser said.
The former president was supportive of Biden’s reelection campaign as he attended multiple fundraisers that raised millions of dollars, along with participating in moderated conversations with Biden and sending messages encouraging supporters to chip in as part of fundraising efforts.
Democrats have been moving quickly in the process to nominate Harris as the party adopted the rules on Wednesday that they will use to choose their presidential nominee, with voting to officially nominate Harris likely to begin on August 1.
The rules call for ceremonial votes for president and vice president, as well as a vote on the party platform, during the Democratic convention, which is scheduled to take place in Chicago from August 19-22. While the ceremonial presidential vote will be conducted as a roll call, the vote for vice president is likely to be a voice vote. Harris has not yet selected a running mate.
Donald Trump watched President Biden’s Oval Office address from his plane after his rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.
President Biden said he abandoned his re-election bid despite believing that his record and leadership deserved a second term, declaring that it is time for “new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices” led by a new generation of leadership in America. “I revere this office, but I love my country more,” he said Wednesday during a prime-time address. “Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.”
We are going to win in November," a smiling Harris told campaign workers in her fiery speech at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.
Turning her fire on Trump, Harris referred to her past role as California's chief prosecutor, saying she "took on perpetrators of all kinds."
"Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So, hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type," she said to applause.
Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign raked in $81 million in the 24 hours after President Biden ended his bid for reelection and Harris announced she would be seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, her campaign said Monday.
The eye-popping haul includes money raised across Harris' campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, and underscores the vice president's enormous financial advantage over any potential challengers for the Democratic nomination. It is the largest amount of money raised in a 24-hour span in presidential history, according to Team Harris.
Maeve7: I am not happy about all these endorsements. Harris is an accomplished woman but I doubt she has what it takes to win over swing states. Also, there should be mini primaries in which 5-6 candidates compete and the best chosen instead of the party just pushing one for the run. I know time is short and it’s easier for Harris to take over President Biden‘s campaign and campaign donations but, frankly speaking, the way she campaigned four years ago was a rather poor performance. She is not very charismatic and not the best communicator.
The party should make no mistakes now. But I am afraid they are about to continue being in panic mode. Though understandable, cool-headed strategy is key now.
is Donald trump charismatic and good communicator?
Talking about democrats pushing her over other nominees, she's more than qualified to be president, I'm happy democrats are united behind her, some nominees are also endorsing her
Vice President Kamala Harris just landed another major endorsement as she barrels toward the Democratic nomination: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a statement, Pelosi noted that she'd known Harris "for decades" — Harris began her political career in San Francisco, which Pelosi has represented in Congress since the 1980s.
"Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November," Pelosi said.
Nancy Pelosi has endorsed VP Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee. The former House speaker played a major role in the effort to push Biden aside. Pelosi had previously expressed support for an open nomination process.
Biden's decision to drop out of the race means the party will have just weeks to coalesce behind a new nominee.
The former House speaker played a major behind-the-scenes role in the intra-Democratic push to get President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.
But that role was, at times, public, too. After Biden appeared to tamp down calls for his withdrawal two weeks ago, Pelosi went on Morning Joe and seemingly reopened the issue once more.
When Biden withdrew on Sunday, Pelosi did not immediately endorse Harris — she had reportedly expressed support for a more wide-open nomination process in private.
Yet that appears unlikely to happen, with Harris locking down the support of most Democratic senators and House members over the last 24 hours.
lexy2014: Fineman2, care to explain how you came up with this?
people are already raising funds for her following her endorsement by Biden even though she's not been selected as the candidate by the party, but she's certain to win the ticket in the next month national convention
Foreign Affairs › UK Drops Planned Israel Arrest Warrant Challenge by Fineman2(op): 5:39pm On Jul 26, 2024
