UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has said that the request by ICC Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan for arrest warrants to be issued for Israeli and Hamas leaders was “deeply unhelpful.”

He stated that Khan’s move would make no difference to securing a “pause” in fighting or the release of hostages.

Also in the UK, the Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a statement about the international criminal court’s (ICC) decision to seek arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas figures.

“We believe that the ICC prosecutor’s recent application for arrest warrants with regard to the war against Hamas exhibits an entirely unacceptable attempt at moral equivalence between Hamas – responsible for the 7 October mass terror attacks and Israel, which has been attempting to uproot Hamas from Gaza.

“We also note that the prosecutors application appears to absolve her mass from all responsibility for the current state of the situation in Gaza. Entirely ignoring the way the terror group uses its own population as human shields.”
Board of Deputies of British Jews

The Board of Deputies of British Jews added that it agrees with both the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the US state department that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over this matter.

It added that ICC’s attempt to assert insert itself into this tragic conflict “will bring us no closer to a full and lasting peace.”

Separately, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant again issued criticism of Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas figures involved in the conflict in Gaza.

In a lengthy post on social media, Gallant asserted that the move was an “attempt to deny the state of Israel the right to defend itself.”

“The state of Israel has been fighting since 7 October a murderous and bloodthirsty enemy, who has committed atrocities against Israeli women, children and men, and now uses its his own people as a human shield. The IDF fights in accordance with the rules of international law, taking unique humanitarian efforts the likes of which have not been taken in any armed conflict.

“The [ICC] prosecutor’s parallel between the terrorist organization Hamas and the state of Israel is despicable and disgusting.”
Yoav Gallant

He stressed that the state of Israel is not a party to the court and does not recognise its authority.

“Prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempt to deny the state of Israel the right to defend itself and release its abductees must be rejected outright,” he added.

ICC Arrest Requests Shows Scrutiny On Both Sides

Israel and Hamas have both criticised the ICC Chief Prosecutor for requesting arrest warrants for their leaders, accusing him of making a false equivalency between the two sides.

However, former ICC official, Eric Witte opined that the decision does not imply that the actions of each side’s leaders are equal but that they will be “equally scrutinised under the law.”

Witte noted that to maintain credibility and pursue justice for all victims of the war – including Israeli captives and Palestinians in Gaza – it is “important for [the prosecutor] to show that he is scrutinising actions of leadership on both sides.”

“It’s impossible to compare the two but what we can say is that victims on both sides are deeply deserving of justice, accountability … and the broader international community has an interest in seeing standards upheld.”
Eric Witte

He added, “There are standards even during wartime. Even if you feel your cause is justified, it doesn’t mean that you can use any means whatsoever to pursue that cause.”