Boris Johnson has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “effectively standing with Hamas” by backing the International Criminal Court’s “patently absurd” decision to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Starmer was put on the backfoot after defending the ICC after its announcement, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper swerving questions about whether she would support Netanyahu’s arrest if he entered the UK.
Ex-Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry, who was snubbed from a high-profile job after Starmer’s landslide victory on July 4, put pressure on the Prime Minister after claiming the UK was now “obligated” to arrest the Israeli premier.
In his weekly Daily Mail column, Johnson took an enormous swipe at his former House of Commons sparring partner.
Johnson accuses Starmer of ‘standing with Hamas’ by backing Netanyahu’s arrest warrant
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He said: “Instead of standing with Israel, Starmer is effectively standing with Hamas – because he has cravenly endorsed the request, from the International Criminal Court (ICC), that the leaders of Israel should be charged with war crimes.”
Johnson also wrote: “All those heartfelt expressions of sympathy, and pledges to stand with Israel: it was all guff, hypocrisy and blather.”
The former Prime Minister added: “We are treating them like Slobodan Milosevic and Ratko Mladic, the butchers of the Balkans, when this ICC case is patently absurd.
“The Hague court is designed for tyrants – like Putin or Milosevic – who have no chance of facing justice in their own country. The ICC is supposed to ‘complement’ any potential failure of due process.”
Keir Starmer
PA
Johnson’s comments come after the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the Government respected the ICC and refused to rule out arresting Netanyahu.
Downing Street instead said that it respects the “independence” of the ICC.
In its latest set of arrest warrants, the ICC also summoned Hamas commander Mohammed Deif and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
However, Israel has said Deif was killed in an air strike earlier this year.
Johnson, who earlier this year suggested Netanyahu bugged Downing Street’s toilets, appeared to echo other top Tories.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel labelled the ICC’s decision as “deeply concerning and provocative”.
“This will do nothing to bring about the release of all hostages held and the bringing of much-needed aid into Gaza,” the top Tory added.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick argued: “The UK should not enforce this farcical arrest warrant from a politicised court that is itself mired in scandal.”
“This latest decision will only fuel the growing perception the ICC is a kangaroo court,” he added. “Equating Israel’s war of self-defence with Hamas is absurd.”
The United States, a non-ICC member and close Israeli ally, firmly rejected the court’s decision, with President Joe Biden calling the arrest warrants “outrageous”.
“Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” Biden declared.
Despite appearing to support the ICC, No10 maintained Starmer will continue to communicate with Netanyahu to guarentee a ceasefire in Gaza after the Strip’s death toll exceeded 45,000.
