Israeli minister met with Lammy while NGO tried to get an arrest warrant issued. Warrant was blocked. UK news media strangely silent.
Last week Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited UK minister David Lammy. When asked by The Guardian this was called a ‘private visit’, although as they were discussing issues relating to Israel and the UK it was really a state business visit. Presumably this was to try and minimise the relavence of Sa’ar being in the UK.
Two organisations, Global Legal Action Network (Glan) and the Brussels-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), made a request to the Attorney General Lord Hermer and Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson for permission to apply for an arrest warrant. This request was supported by medical doctors. The focus of the warrant request was his involvement in the decisions that have led to the mass killing of Palestinians and extreme suffering more generally.
He has been implicated in the siege of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital at the end of 2024, which culminated in the abduction and torture of the hospital’s director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh.
Sa’ar as a senior member of Israel’s security cabinet is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, along with Benjamin Netanyahu. Sa’ar continues to advocate for the halting of all humanitarian aid to Gaza where civilians are now enduring full-scale famine conditions.
The Attorney General refused the warrant request on the purported basis that Sa’ar had immunity. In UK law this immunity only applies to heads of states and not Foreign Ministers, so the decision by the Attorney General appears to be flawed. The issue of immunity can only be judged in a court as debated in the House of Lords in November 2024.
How others are reporting it
The most UK news outlets have ignored this completely. The last time the BBC mentions Lammy is on 15th April talking about Sudan. The only ones that have reported it are The Guardian and the Morning Star. The Telegraph does report the meeting with Lammy, mostly as an excuse to uncritically give Sa’ar an opportunity to expand at length about how hard done by Israel is.