Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has said they are prepared to arrest to enforce the International Criminal Court’s warrant. This warrant specifically calls for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A recent poll revealed that a significant majority of the British public believes the UK should enforce this warrant if Netanyahu were to visit the country. That poll, conducted the first week of June with 2,010 respondents, shows 65% in favor of enforcement of the warrant.
The feeling is especially strong among Labour voters, with 78% saying they want to see the ICC warrant enforced. Over two-thirds of Labour voters disagree with how Israel is attacking Gaza. Among them, a breathtaking 87% think that these actions do rise to the level of genocide. In general, 45% of UK adults view Israel’s actions as genocidal.
The UK government has come under increasing pressure to deal more robustly with Israel. In 2024, it paused 30 major arms export licenses to Israel. Today’s decision followed from evidence that the arms would likely be used to commit breaches of international humanitarian law. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration has adopted a more critical tone regarding Israel’s actions and has imposed sanctions on high-ranking officials.
For the last 20 months, hundreds of thousands of Britons have marched. Their actions are part of a wave of civil disobedience actions against the ongoing bombardment in Gaza, which has killed over 55,000 people. Reflecting public sentiment, advocacy organizations are pushing for UK policy-making to be in accordance with obligations under international law.
“The UK government is totally out of touch with the British public they are supposed to represent, and the Labour Party are even more out of touch with their own voters,” – Jonathan Purcell of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians.
Purcell added that UK policymaking should be based on adherence to international law. And he called for recognizing the deep public support for such radical policies. “There is absolutely no appetite to drag our national reputation through the mud by continuing to stand with a rogue, pariah state,” he stated.
Othman Moqbel, head of Action for Humanity, echoed these sentiments, noting that the public’s view is increasingly critical of Israel’s actions. “It is clear that a majority of the public here are disgusted with Israel’s conduct, and a growing number agree that this is clearly a genocide,” he remarked.
For her part, Moqbel expressed disbelief at the government’s refusal to recognize the seriousness of the situation in Gaza. He claimed that this lack of foresight puts them on the wrong side of history. He called for the UK to do “everything in its power to stop Israel and seek justice against those responsible.”
