On 21 November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) finally issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel‘s former defence minister Yoav Gallant. Now, their accomplices in the West must also face justice for supporting and participating in the genocide in Gaza for over a year. In particular, let’s remember UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s role.
ICC: Netanyahu a (potential) war criminal – so, what about Starmer?
The ICC found:
reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population… [and] that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024.
The court considers them “co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
As Israeli occupation forces committed these crimes in Gaza, Labour leader Keir Starmer seemed to agree in an interview that cutting off water and power to people in Gaza was “appropriate”. He responded that “Israel does have that right”. He also added that “everything should be done within international law”. The ICC now clearly believes that did not happen.
The ICC has just issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes including "starvation as a method of warfare".
Keir Starmer said "Israel does have that right" to cut off water and power from Gaza. He should be arrested too. pic.twitter.com/0kvD0L75Qv
— John McEvoy (@jmcevoy_2) November 21, 2024
Other figures in Starmer’s team at the time also sought to underplay the severity of Israel’s crimes.
As prime minister, meanwhile, Starmer has engaged in genocide denialism, along with others in his cabinet. And British governments under both Starmer and Rishi Sunak have participated in Israel’s genocide via RAF flights over Gaza, and US flights from the UK’s base on Cyprus.
Now that the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Starmer can either choose to keep standing with the genocidal Israeli government or to heed international law. As Jeremy Corbyn said following the decision:
The ICC’s arrest warrants are long overdue.
The Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary must immediately endorse this decision. That is the bare minimum.
Will the UK government now, finally, honour its international obligations to prevent genocide and end all arms sales to Israel?
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 21, 2024
The UK has an obligation to act
UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese had already written recently that:
the UK is violating its obligations under international law not to aid and assist a state which is committing international wrongdoings.
She had also explained that:
In order not to violate the Genocide Convention, which contains an obligation to prevent genocide, member states need to comply with the obligation not to support a state that might be committing genocide
Now, the UK has an additional obligation to actually arrest Netanyahu or Gallant if they come to Britain.
Every member of the ICC, which includes us & our European neighbours, are now legally obliged to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they set foot on their territory. pic.twitter.com/MX8BNrE1XX
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) November 21, 2024
No more denial!
For many years, pro-Israel lobbyists and propagandists have cynically sought to smear as antisemitic anyone who criticises the apartheid state’s illegal occupations, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes. And that has predictably been the response of Netanyahu and others in the Israeli government and parliament to the ICC’s decision.
But this gaslighting has lost power. Because genocide apologists now use the smear so universally, many people simply see how ridiculous it is.
There clearly is a genocide going on in Gaza. And the denialism of the British government must stop. Starmer must finally accept Britain’s responsibilities under international law. Otherwise, he could find himself in the Hague one day too.
Featured image via the Canary
