The British government suggested on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face arrest if he travels to the UK, following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday. The ICC charged Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant with crimes against humanity and war crimes in connection to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

While Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman refrained from commenting on whether UK police would specifically detain Netanyahu, he emphasized that the UK would uphold its legal obligations under both domestic and international law.

The UK, which signed the Rome Statute in 1998, is bound by the International Criminal Court Act of 2001. This law states that if the ICC requests an arrest, the UK must transmit the request to the courts and potentially execute it if a valid warrant is issued. However, this process has never been used, as no person indicted by the ICC has visited the UK before. It remains unclear whether the legal process would begin upon Netanyahu’s arrival in Britain or after the warrant is issued.