Jewish communal bodies have issued a joint statement condemning the government’s decision to drop its opposition to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council said they were “concerned” that the new government has made a “significant shift in policy away from Israel being a key UK ally”.
Communal bodies fear the UK is now “at odds with our allies” and say the move marks a “strategic and moral error”.
On Friday, Downing Street confirmed that it would not submit a challenge to the jurisdiction of the ICC over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, is seeking a warrant against Israel’s prime minister and defence minister, as well as three Hamas leaders.
The previous UK government had filed a request with the ICC to provide evidence on whether the court had jurisdiction over the conflict.
Under advice from the new attorney general Richard Hermer KC, the government has dropped the request, suggesting they believe the ICC should have jurisdiction.
The BoD and JLC said of the decision on Friday: “This regretful and regressive step not only appears to be a reversal of long-term UK foreign policy, but also puts us at odds with international allies such as the USA and Germany, who have challenged the court's treatment of Israel.
“This decision comes at a time where many in the Jewish community are still assessing how this government will in practice stand by its words, delivered when in opposition, to support Israel's right to self-defence.”
Citing the recent decision to restore UK funding to Unrwa and the rumours that the government “will soon be making an announcement regarding the sale of arms to Israel”, the communal bodies went on: “We are concerned that the cumulative effect of these announcements, in quick succession, signal a significant shift in policy, away from Israel being a key UK ally. This would not only be a strategic error but a moral one.”
They implored the government to backtrack on their decision: “The government should urgently reconsider any such approach.”
Labour Friends of Israel also branded the decision "deeply disappointing” and called Khan’s case “morally suspect and legally dubious”.
“It undermines international law both when the chief prosecutor draws an equivalence between the actions of terrorists and those of democratically elected leaders, and when - in contravention of its remit - it launches cases against countries with robust, independent and fully functioning judicial systems,” said LFI.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) supported the statement from BoD and JLC, commenting “Supporting Israel after October 7 is crucial. We share the disappointment of our British colleagues in this series of bad policy decisions by the UK government.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy official spokesperson said of the submission: “This was a proposal by the previous government that was not submitted before the election. I can confirm the government will not be pursuing that in line with our longstanding position that this is a matter for the court to decide on.
“The government feels very strongly about the rule of law internationally and domestically, and the separation of powers, and I would note the courts have already received a number of submissions on either side and they are well seized of the arguments to make their determination,” the PM’s spokesperson went on.
