Palestine campaigners have requested that police investigate Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his visit to the UK next week over his liability for war crimes committed in Gaza.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) said it contacted the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, also known as SO15, saying Herzog could bear criminal liability for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and actions that constitute plausible genocide.
ICJP argued that diplomatic immunity would not preclude the Metropolitan Police from interviewing him in compliance with the UK’s international and domestic obligations.
“This action represents a significant escalation in the global legal effort to hold senior Israeli officials accountable for war crimes and grave breaches of international law,” said Jonathan Purcell, ICJP’s senior public affairs and communications officer.
“The rule of law applies to all, regardless of office or nationality. If political leaders refuse to subject themselves to the legal process, it is their own soldiers who will be left exposed facing justice alone, without immunity or protection. There will be no safe haven for suspected war criminals. International law demands accountability, and we are determined to deliver it.”
Read more: British Palestine campaigners request war crimes investigation into Israeli president
