Metropolitan Police announce they have referred Israel-Gaza war crimes cases to the ICC

The Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Squad shared a “small number of referrals” with authorities. International Criminal Court Since (ICC) Hamas-led the attack Israel last October and the following war in Gaza.

A police spokesperson told Middle East Eye that the War Crimes Squad had reviewed around 170 referrals relating to the ongoing conflict since 7 October 2023 and had shared information with the international court “as part of the UK’s international obligations”.

“We will not comment on the specific nature of each referral, but each is being reviewed in line with the War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity Referral Guidelines jointly agreed by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service,” the spokesman said.

“There is currently no UK-based investigation into any matters relating to this particular conflict.”

The Met’s comments come after the Ministry of Defense in question He will consider sharing with the court any evidence of war crimes that Royal Air Force spy planes may have collected while flying over Gaza last year.

The ICC is currently investigating alleged war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2014, including the events following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

The Met said that under the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, the War Crimes Squad is obliged by the court to support any investigation that may involve British nationals.

Last December, posters in Arabic and English appeared at British airports urging anyone who has been in Israel or the Palestinian territories and has witnessed or been a victim of terrorism, war crimes or crimes against humanity to report them to the police.

on BBC in January reported It was stated that 73 of the 92 referrals (about 79 percent) regarding the conflict during that period were directed against Israel.

The Met refused on Friday to provide a similar breakdown of all referrals made during the conflict.

‘litmus test’

Among those sharing evidence with the Met in the UK is the International Center for Justice in Palestine (ICJP), which has filed three criminal complaints against the police in relation to the war.

One of the complaints is filed in january and supported by A second complaint in MayHe argued that senior British politicians, including five ministers, were criminally responsible for allegedly aiding Israel’s war crimes.

Along with the complaints, the organization turned over hundreds of pages of evidence, including photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts from Gaza, including 19 medical experts.

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ICJP’s legal officer Zaki Sarraf told MEE it was correct for the Met to refer cases to the ICC.

“But this does not exempt him from his legal duty to investigate and prosecute potential war criminals,” Sarraf said. he said.

“Dual nationals serving in the IDF and British government officials complicit in war crimes should be dealt with within domestic jurisdictions in the United Kingdom.”

He also said that the police force had handed over the evidence to the court, but the Ministry of Defense had not yet done so.

“This is a litmus test: will the UK uphold justice without fear or favor, regardless of the perpetrator? Or will political alliances be prioritized over Palestinian lives?” Sarraf said: