Keir Starmer denies blocking arrest warrant for Gideon Sa'ar
During his time in the UK, a request for an arrest warrant for Sa'ar was submitted to Westminster Magistrate Court by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Hind Rajab Foundation.
(Image: Aris Messinis / AFP) Sa'ar was accused of aiding and abetting torture and grave breaches of international humanitarian law in Palestine including torture, wilful killing and extensive destruction of property.
He is already the subject of a complaint by the Hind Rajab Foundation to the International Criminal Court alleging his involvement in decisions that led to mass civilian displacement and siege conditions in Gaza and his support for policies that targeted civilian infrastructure.
READ MORE: BBC quietly edits false report hiding Israel minister's UK visit
The request was ultimately denied by the Attorney General because "international law requires that immunity is accorded to serving ministers for foreign affairs in domestic criminal proceedings irrespective of the subject matter, or gravity, of any complaint."
It was later revealed that Lammy had personally offered Sa'ar reassurances that he would not would not face an arrest warrant while on a secret visit, leading to accusation that the UK Government was "shielding" Sa'ar.
However, during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Starmer was asked why he "block[ed] the arrest of an unindicted war criminal".
Keir Starmer is challenged on Israeli minister Gideon Sa'ar visiting the UK last week by Labour MP @zarahsultana
He denies blocking campaigners' attempts to secure an arrest warrant for the politician. pic.twitter.com/HZ2OtdGEot — The National (@ScotNational) April 23, 2025
Labour MP Zarah Sultana, one of the few MPs to speak out against the visit, said: "Last week humanitarian law organisations applied for an arrest warrant for Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar over alleged war crimes in Gaza, including the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital and the torture of its director Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh.
"Yet the red carpet was rolled out.
READ MORE: Israeli police officers aimed guns at two British MPs in West Bank
"Sa'ar has justified blocking vital humanitarian aid into Gaza, backed the illegal annexation of Palestinian land and rejected a Palestinian state.
"The Prime Minister is a human rights lawyer, so surely he knows that the UK has a legal duty to uphold international law.
"Why then did he block the arrest of an unindicted war criminal?"
Starmer simply replied: "I didn't."
The Foreign Office has still not issued an official statement on Sa'ar's meeting with Lammy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
12 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
UN says malnutrition in Gaza has doubled as Israeli strikes kill more than 90
It comes as new Israeli strikes killed more than 90 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, according to health officials. Hunger has been rising among Gaza's more than two million Palestinians since Israel broke a ceasefire in March to resume the war and banned all food and other supplies from entering Gaza, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. It slightly eased the blockade in late May, allowing in a trickle of aid. UNRWA, the main UN agency caring for Palestinians in Gaza, said it had screened nearly 16,000 children under age five at its clinics in June and found 10.2% of them were acutely malnourished. By comparison, in March, 5.5% of the nearly 15,000 children it screened were malnourished. – New airstrikes kill several families One strike in the northern Shati refugee camp killed a 68-year-old Hamas member of the Palestinian legislature, as well as a man and a woman and their six children who were sheltering in the same building, according to officials from the heavily damaged Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. One of the deadliest strikes hit a house in Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district on Monday evening and killed 19 members of the family living inside, according to Shifa Hospital. The dead included eight women and six children. A strike on a tent housing displaced people in the same district killed a man and a woman and their two children. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. Gaza's Health Ministry said in a daily report on Tuesday afternoon that the bodies of 93 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, along with 278 wounded. It did not specify the total number of women and children among the dead. The Hamas politician killed in a strike early on Tuesday, Mohammed Faraj al-Ghoul, was a member of the bloc of representatives from the group that won seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the last national elections, held in 2006. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. But daily, it hits homes and shelters where people are living without warning or explanation of the target. – Malnutrition grows Unicef, which screens children separately from Unrwa, has also reported a marked increase in malnutrition cases. It said this week its clinics had documented 5,870 cases of malnutrition among children in June, the fourth straight month of increases and more than double the around 2,000 cases it documented in February. Experts have warned of famine since Israel tightened its long-running blockade in March. Israel has allowed an average of 69 trucks a day carrying supplies, including food, since it eased the blockade in May, according to the latest figures from Cogat, the Israeli military agency in charge of co-ordinating aid. That is far below the hundreds of trucks a day the UN says are needed to sustain Gaza's population. On Tuesday, Cogat blamed the UN for failing to distribute aid, saying in a post on X that thousands of pallets of supplies were inside Gaza waiting to be picked up by UN trucks. The UN says it has struggled to pick up and distribute aid because of Israeli military restrictions on its movements and the breakdown in law and order. Israel has also let in food for distribution by an American contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. GHF says it has distributed food boxes with the equivalent of more than 70 million meals since late May at the four centres it runs in the Rafah area of southern Gaza and in central Gaza. More than 840 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,600 others wounded in shootings as they walk for hours trying to reach the GHF centres, according to the Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli forces open fire with barrages of live ammunition to control crowds on the roads to the GHF centres, which are located in military-controlled zones. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it says have approached its forces in a suspicious manner. GHF says no shootings have taken place in or immediately around its distribution sites. – No breakthrough in ceasefire efforts The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Israel has killed more than 58,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 139,000 others in its retaliation campaign since Hamas' October 7 2023, attack, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Just over half the dead are women and children, according to the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its attack 21 months ago, in which militants stormed into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted 251 others, and the militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive.
The National
31 minutes ago
- The National
Ian Murray to visit Faslane to announce £250m investment in nuclear base
SCOTTISH Secretary Ian Murray is to launch a £250 million investment at the base housing Scotland's nuclear weapons. The funding for HMNB Clyde at Faslane was announced in the spending review last month and will be spent over the next three years to improve infrastructure at the site. The upgrade will ensure the base can house the next generation of nuclear submarines. UK Government ministers Murray and Maria Eagle will visit the site on Wednesday, meeting with senior military officials, the leaders of Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute councils, and local MPs. Scottish Secretary Murray described the spending as a 'defence dividend' as he continued to talk up the economic impact of investing in the sector in Scotland, including through the Clyde 2070 programme, which will see billions pumped into the industry in the coming decades. READ MORE: Explosive new poll puts Corbyn-Sultana party level with Labour 'With Faslane home to the nation's first and final line of defence – the UK's nuclear deterrent, it's only right that Clyde 2070 represents one of the most significant UK Government investments over the coming decades,' he said. 'It will ensure the Royal Navy can deliver the continuous at sea deterrent from a modern, efficient base which will result in a better environment for our hero submariners to live, work and train in. 'Crucially it will also create skilled jobs – including for small and medium-size firms – boost the economy and help tackle the critical skills gaps facing the country in sectors such as nuclear, construction, maritime and project management, by bringing together government, Scottish communities, industry, supply chains and academia to address the challenges.' Defence procurement minister Eagle said Scotland plays a 'crucial role' in the country's Trident nuclear deterrent. She added: 'We are today re-affirming that unshakeable commitment by launching this multibillion-pound investment to His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, which is vital to our deterrence capability. 'The initial £250 million of funding over three years will support jobs, skills and growth across the west of Scotland. 'This Government will keep the UK safe for generations to come while delivering on the Plan for Change and making defence an engine for growth.' The SNP have been contacted for comment.
Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
CHRIS HUGHES: 'Afghans who helped our troops deserve loyalty - they were betrayed'
Brave Afghan colleagues gave British troops invaluable eyes and ears on the ground over many years of war, saving countless lives - but they were betrayed when Kabul fell to the Taliban British troops who spent years on the Afghan frontline know first-hand many of their Afghan colleagues and friends were invaluable. Of course many of the Afghans allowed to come to the UK because of their UK associations had jobs outside translating or working with the military. There were civilian contractors throughout from Helmand Province to Kabul, employing hundreds of locals for a variety of jobs. Embassies, consular buildings, charities, foreign office schemes all had the opportunity to employ or have links to local Afghans. They felt safe and committed to the coalition project to dispense democracy, education, security, investing in a future vibrant and bustling economy. In 2021 that all fell to dust as the Taliban stormed Kabul, surprising everyone even though they had been bragging this was what they planned to do for a decade. In 2013 in Peshawar, Pakistan veteran Taliban commander Qari Nasrullah met me and gave me an interview and bragged about Taliban plans for Afghanistan. He said openly that the Taliban had shadow governments set up throughout Afghanistan and that soon they would retake the entire country. It took them a little longer but they did just that and Afghanistan's hopes for democracy fell to dust - and our Afghan friends were betrayed. They had gambled on UK promises we were there to stay and could not believe it when the last plane left Kabul in a hurry. On many occasions whilst embedded with UK forces in Helmand Province I witnessed translators intercepting Taliban radio calls and warning of forthcoming ambushes. These brave souls gave UK troops eyes and ears on the ground and save many lives - and they deserved our loyalty. Many made it to the UK but we may never know what sad ends some of them may have come to in mountain and desert villages throughout Afghanistan. I saw how hard the interpreters worked. Often they were at opposite ends of Afghanistan to where their families were yet they took enormous risks. I saw them hunched over radios all night listening to local Taliban chatting and suddenly they would call over an officer. After hours of listening they would learn of an arms cache, a roadside bomb being planted or plans to attack the base. The information - especially in real time during a patrol - was life-saving, especially if an ambush was planned. Without them the troops could not talk to local farmers and pick up crucial information about Taliban movements. Always cheery and affable, these highly educated Afghans were alone, foreigners in their own land and surrounded by troops. And yet they always seemed to be smiling and unconcerned for their own safety. And some were killed or injured too. What has happened to some of them is tragic and clearly a betrayal.
