### UK Labor Party Scraps Inquiry into International Court Jurisdiction
Following a general election that ousted the Conservatives from power, the Labour Party, aligned with the center-left, has decided to abandon the inquiry into the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer informed journalists that the new government would drop the inquiry “in line with our firm stance that this is a matter for the courts to decide.”
The spokesperson added, “The government firmly believes in the rule of law, both internationally and domestically, and in the separation of powers.”
While the Conservatives frequently expressed dissatisfaction with judicial oversight that extended beyond national authority during their 14 years in power—particularly with respect to the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights—Starmer, a former lawyer, has adopted a different tone. Last week, he assured European leaders that his government would show “great respect for international law.”
The ICC, which handles war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been investigating both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2021.
In that year, the ICC ruled that it had jurisdiction following the Palestinian authorities’ accession to the court in 2015, after gaining observer status at the United Nations. Some legal experts and member states argued that this decision postponed the interpretation of the 1993 Oslo Accords regarding Palestinian jurisdiction over Israeli citizens to a later stage in the proceedings.
The UK’s decision to withdraw the legal procedure is unlikely to accelerate the ICC case, as more than 60 states and interested parties have been allowed to present their legal arguments to the judges considering requests for arrest warrants for senior officials from Israel and Hamas.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚