Ministers should face ICC probe over UK response to Gaza genocide – Corbyn

Ministers should face investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, Jeremy Corbyn’s Gaza Tribunal has said.

The former Labour leader’s investigation into the UK response to the conflict has reported back after it held a series of hearings in September.

The tribunal was intended to “uncover the full scale of Britain’s complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide”, Mr Corbyn said in a foreword to its final report.

The report accuses the British Government of failing to prevent genocide in Gaza and claims the UK was complicit in Israel’s actions.

A UN Commission last year said Israel’s actions in Gaza had constituted a genocide.

At least 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began but some experts believe the true death toll is much higher.

The tribunal calls for a full investigation by the ICC into Britain’s actions in response to the conflict, as well as an independent public inquiry into any co-operation between the UK and Israel since October 2023.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Government has faced criticism from some quarters for not doing more to dissociate itself from Israel as the conflict has ensued.

Mr Corbyn’s introduction to the tribunal’s final report said: “Today, schoolchildren are taught about history’s worst crimes against humanity.

“They are asked to reflect on how these crimes possibly could have occurred. And they learn the names of political figures that endorsed or enabled such atrocities.

“In the near future, our history books will shame those in our government who could have stopped the genocide in Gaza but facilitated it instead.

“This report will help cement the Government’s legacy as an active participant in one of the greatest crimes of our time.”