U.K. Petition to Arrest Netanyahu for 'War Crimes' Reaches Nearly 80,000 Signatures

British government issues a response to e-petition, reiterating Israel’s right to self-defense and the Prime Minister’s diplomatic immunity ahead of his visit to London next month.

Ha’aretz

The number of signatures on a petition calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his visit to the U.K. in September has nearly doubled to reach almost 80,000.

The e-petition, uploaded to the U.K. Government’s official website earlier this month, calls for Netanyahu to be arrested under international law for “war crimes” during last summer’s Israel-Gaza war.

It has gained 36,000 signatures in the last 10 days, reaching about 77,350 signatures as of Sunday evening.

“Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold talks in London this September. Under international law he should be arrested for war crimes upon arrival in the U.K. for the massacre of over 2,000 civilians in 2014,” the petition reads.

A total of 2,300 Gazans were killed in the Israel-Gaza conflict last summer, according to the UN Human Rights Committee, although the number of civilian casualties remains disputed. Seventy-one Israelis were killed, five of them civilians.

Any government e-petition with 100,000 signatures must be considered for debate in the House of Commons. However, the U.K. Government issued a statement clarifying that under U.K. and international law, “visiting heads of foreign governments, such as Prime Minister Netanyahu, have immunity from legal process, and cannot be arrested or detained.”

The statement goes on to emphasize Israel’s right to self-defense: “The Prime Minister was clear on the U.K.’s recognition of Israel’s right to take proportionate action to defend itself, within the boundaries of international humanitarian law.

“We condemn the terrorist tactics of Hamas who fired rockets on Israel, built extensive tunnels to kidnap and murder, and repeatedly refused to accept ceasefires.”

There were similar calls to arrest former-Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni for “war crimes” when she visited London last year, citing her involvement in 2008’s Operation Cast Lead.

The U.K. Foreign Office granted Livni “special mission status” – temporary diplomatic immunity – for the duration of her visit. In contrast, Netanyahu holds automatic diplomatic immunity because he is the head of a foreign government.

The Israeli prime minister is set for talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London next month. They are set to focus on the Iran nuclear deal, the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the Syrian civil war.