CFI has called on the UK Government to “go further” and “challenge” the International Criminal Court’s controversial announcement of an investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel.
In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, CFI labels the decision of the ICC’s outgoing Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda as a threat to UK interests. The “dangerous precedent” raises the possibility that non-state actors will be able to “pursue vexatious claims against [the UK] and our brave armed forces”.
CFI’s Parliamentary Chairmen, Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP (Commons) and Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles (Lords) and CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE assert that “we should stand by our close ally and friend Israel”. The letter emphasises that: “In our [the UK] own interests, we cannot afford to allow this to go unchallenged”.
Recognising that the UK Government “rightly speaks about the need for reform of the ICC”, the letter calls for the UK to “now go one step further” and condemn the decision.
The full letter can be found below.
In a separate statement, CFI’s Parliamentary Chairmen, Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP (Commons) and Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles (Lords) and CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE said:
“The International Criminal Court’s controversial decision to pursue an investigation into Israel will receive strong international criticism. This investigation sets a dangerous precedent for non-state actors to pursue vexatious claims against this country and our brave armed forces. The Government rightly speaks about the need for reform of the ICC, but it must now go further. In our own interest we cannot afford to allow this to go unchallenged. We must stand with our close friend Israel as we would expect our friends to do with us”.
