LONDON: The overwhelming majority of people in Britain believe that the UK should arrest the subjects of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, a new poll has found.
Commissioned by the Council for Arab-British Understanding and Medical Aid for Palestinians, the survey follows a request by Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The poll, conducted on July 30-31, found that 84 percent of the UK public believe that Netanyahu and Gallant should be arrested if they enter British jurisdiction.
The new UK government has overturned previous legal opposition to Khan’s move, which CAABU in a press release described as a “welcome first step.”
The organization’s director, Chris Doyle, said: “At some point, perhaps within weeks or even days, the British government may have to enforce ICC arrest warrants relating to the atrocities over the last 10 months. This government has assured the electorate it will adhere to international law.
“This poll shows the electorate overwhelmingly wants to see that and that full accountability and justice matters to them, regardless of who is accused. The climate of impunity enjoyed by so many for so long must end.”
Fifty-eight percent of Britons support ending weapons sales to Israel, the poll found. Only 18 percent oppose the move.
Despite the previous British government’s unwillingness to support a ceasefire in Gaza, 74 percent of the public believe that the UK should back an end to the war, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and injured 91,000.
Rohan Talbot, MAP’s director of advocacy and campaigns, said: “As Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment, including of homes, healthcare and so-called ‘safe zones,’ wages on, the British public has reaffirmed widespread support for action by the UK government to bring the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza to an end.
“This includes suspending arms sales to Israel which may be used in violations of international law. Ten months in, people in Gaza cannot wait any longer — the government must act now.”
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