LONDON: The UK’s new government will drop its challenge to arrest warrants sought by an international court’s prosecutor for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Downing Street confirmed on Friday.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s government had told the International Criminal Court (ICC) it intended to submit a challenge to prosecutor Karim Khan’s request in May for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The UK had until Friday to submit its questions to the court in The Hague, but the recently elected Labour government has confirmed it will not follow through with Sunak’s plan.
“This was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
“I think you would note that the courts have already received a number of submissions on either side, so they are well seized of the arguments to make their independent determinations,” she added.
Labour under former human rights lawyer Keir Starmer swept to power on July 4, defeating the Tories in a landslide general election win.
It has since announced the resumption of funding for the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees that had been paused under Sunak after Israeli claims that UNRWA members took part in the October 7 attacks against Israel.
Labour wants an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas militants in Gaza and the release of hostages.
Israel’s top ally the United States is still set to challenge the court’s authority to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu.
As well as Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan is also seeking warrants against top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
If granted by ICC judges, any of the 124 ICC member states would technically be obliged to arrest Netanyahu and others if they traveled there.
However, the court has no mechanism to enforce its orders.
UK drops plans to challenge ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant
https://arab.news/rp5jr
UK drops plans to challenge ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant
- Former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s government had told ICC it intended to submit a challenge to prosecutor Karim Khan’s request
- The recently elected Labour government has confirmed it will not follow through with Sunak’s plan
Indonesia’s new state mosque to hold first Eid prayers this year
- Mosque is located in Nusantara Capital City on Borneo island, a $32bn project set for 2045 completion
- Famous sculptor Nyoman Nuarta designed mosque, other government structures in new capital
JAKARTA: The state mosque in Indonesia’s planned new capital city, Nusantara, will hold its inaugural Eid Al-Fitr prayer this year, as the $62 million facility opens for its first run of Ramadan programs.
The Indonesian government has plans to relocate the capital to Borneo island to replace the overcrowded and sinking Jakarta on Java island, with the $32 billion megaproject scheduled for completion in 2045.
With a capacity of about 60,000 people, the mosque in East Kalimantan opened to the public last month, at the beginning of Ramadan.
“This mosque symbolizes that we are building the Nusantara Capital City with careful attention to spiritual, social and environmental aspects,” Troy Pantouw, spokesperson for the Nusantara Capital City Authority — the agency overseeing the new capital city — told Arab News on Saturday.
“We will hold Eid Al-Fitr prayers here and we are hoping that it would mark a historic momentum of unity here at Nusantara Capital City.”
Locally known as Masjid Negara, construction of the state mosque began in 2024. Its design was spearheaded by Balinese sculptor Nyoman Nuarta at the request of former President Joko Widodo.
Nuarta is one of Indonesia’s most famous visual artists and creator of the country’s tallest statue, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, located in Bali.
The 72-year-old is also the designer behind other main structures in Nusantara, including the new state palace.
This Ramadan marked many firsts for Masjid Negara, including its first taraweeh on Feb. 18, which was attended by thousands of worshippers in East Kalimantan.
In the same complex where the state mosque is located, the government has plans to build Christian churches, and Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian temples.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, officially recognizes Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism as religions.
“A church is now being built in the complex, and in the future there will also be houses of worship belonging to other religions. This reflects Nusantara’s values of harmony and respect,” Pantouw said.
“From the start, this area was designed to represent inter-religious harmony. We want the Nusantara Capital City to stand as a concrete example of how physical developments can be parallel to efforts to build tolerance in society.”
