Pro-Palestine activists call for arrest of Israeli president during UK visit | Israel-Gaza war

Professional-Palestine activists have requested that an arrest warrant be issued in opposition to the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, for alleged struggle crimes earlier than his arrival within the UK this week.Herzog is accused of aiding and abetting the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza within the request to the director of public prosecutions filed by the Associates of Al-Aqsa marketing campaign group.One of many specialist legal professionals advising Associates of Al-Aqsa mentioned the case was primarily based round statements made by Herzog after the 7 October Hamas assault on Israel, through which the Israeli president mentioned all Palestinians in Gaza had been accountable.These feedback have been highlighted in South Africa’s case on the worldwide courtroom of justice in The Hague accusing Israel of genocide.“South Africa has filed an entire file with the UN safety council of proof of Israeli troopers and officers utilizing President Herzog’s phrases, and placing them into apply on the bottom in Gaza. They launched indiscriminate assaults impacting civilians and civilian objects within the information that such assaults would trigger extreme lack of life, damage to civilians and harm to civilian objects.”The lawyer claimed the excessive civilian dying toll, widespread harm to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings had been indicative of the struggle crime of launching indiscriminate assaults, which might be a grave breach of the primary further protocol to the Geneva conventions.As head of state, Herzog would ordinarily be anticipated to have immunity, however the lawyer recommended there was a precedent because the worldwide legal courtroom (ICC) had issued arrest warrants in opposition to serving heads of presidency – together with President Vladimir Putin of Russia – which have to be enforced by signatories to the ICC’s Rome statute.The Israeli embassy in London has been approached for remark.In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the nation’s former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and the late Hamas army chief, Mohammed Deif, for alleged struggle crimes referring to the Gaza struggle.Herzog is scheduled to reach within the UK for a three-day go to to fulfill goverment ministers, although Labour MPs have urged ministers not to take action.The go to precedes the UK authorities’s anticipated recognition of a Palestinian state, which the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has pledged to do except Israel agrees to a ceasefire and revives the prospect of a two-state answer.“A pacesetter of a rustic that carries out gross human proper violations and indiscriminate killing shouldn’t be allowed within the UK,” mentioned the Associates of Al-Aqsa’s founder, Ismail Patel.skip previous e-newsletter promotionOur morning electronic mail breaks down the important thing tales of the day, telling you what’s occurring and why it mattersPrivacy Discover: Newsletters could comprise details about charities, on-line advertisements, and content material funded by exterior events. For those who do not need an account, we are going to create a visitor account for you on theguardian.com to ship you this article. You’ll be able to full full registration at any time. For extra details about how we use your knowledge see our Privateness Coverage. We use Google reCaptcha to guard our web site and the Google Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Service apply.after e-newsletter promotionPatel mentioned greater than 60,000 folks had been killed in Gaza, that Israel was accused of struggle crimes and that it had starved the inhabitants by means of its blockade on help.“Britain has didn’t defend Palestinian rights and champion the rule of legislation. There’s now a possibility to appropriate the failings and situation an arrest warrant to analyze into Herzog’s incitement to assaults on Gaza,” he mentioned.The lawyer mentioned the English authorized system offered the likelihood for personal people to request the director of public prosecutions to permit a personal prosecution and search an arrest warrant in opposition to somebody to start a personal prosecution, fairly than counting on the Crown Prosecution Service.In 2016, the previous Israeli overseas minister Tzipi Livni was granted particular diplomatic immunity after she was summoned for questioning by police over alleged struggle crimes throughout Israel’s Operation Forged Lead in 2008-09, throughout which rights teams say about 1,400 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza.