Sadiq Khan says if Israeli PM visits London he would lobby govt to enforce ICC arrest warrant

Sadiq Khan says if Israeli PM visits London he would lobby govt to enforce ICC arrest warrant

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has said that Benjamin Netanyahu is the perpetrator of genocide in Gaza, and that he would lobby the UK government to arrest the Israeli premier if he ever visited.

Earlier this week, Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, said that Netanyahu was a war criminal and that the federal US government should arrest him on behalf of the International Criminal Court during a planned trip to America later this year.

The London mayor was asked on Thursday by Channel 4 News if he would “follow suit”.

“Well, I have different powers to the mayor of New York,” Khan said. “But I do believe a genocide is being committed in Gaza. I think Netanyahu is responsible.”

He added: “And as a perpetrator of genocide, I think he’s broken the law. And I think justice needs to happen, and that means him being brought to book.”

Khan was asked if that meant he would lobby the UK government, led by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, to enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant.

“Well the good news is, and this is very good news, Netanyahu is not coming to London. Because if he did, he would feel the full weight of public opinion if he came.

“If there is any evidence of him coming to London, I’ll be lobbying the prime minister to make sure the law is enforced.”

When finally asked if Netanyahu was welcome in London, Khan concluded: “People who commit genocide are not welcome in London.”

source: tehrantimes.com