London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “not welcome” in the city.
Khan made the remarks during an interview with Channel 4 News, in which he argued that those “accused of genocide” should face justice.
He also insisted that the UK had to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant if Netanyahu were to visit Britain.
Speaking to C4 home affairs correspondent Symeon Brown, Khan said he would urge Prime Minister Andy Burnham to ensure British authorities upheld international law should the Israeli PM travel to London.
Khan said: “Those accused of genocide must face justice.
“People who commit genocide are not welcome in London.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes committed after the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Israel rejects the allegations and denies any wrongdoing.
Khan’s remarks come shortly after New York’s Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani made a similar statement, although he later accepted he lacked the legal authority to arrest the Israeli leader.
In a video posted on X he said: “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
However, neither the United States nor Israel recognises the ICC's jurisdiction.
In July 2024 the newly elected British Labour government dropped plans put in place by the previous Conservative administration to challenge the ICC warrant.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the time: "I think you would note that the courts have already received a number of submissions on either side, so they are well apprised of the arguments to make their independent determinations."
Netanyahu has previously labelled Mamdani's opinion “absurd”.
He told a press conference: “He conveniently forgets that the only democracy in the Middle East is Israel. Twenty per cent of our citizens are in fact Muslims ... but they sit on the Supreme Court. They're in the Knesset, our parliament. They share every walk of life.”
It is understood that at present there are no plans for the Israeli PM to visit London.
The Israeli embassy has been approached for comment.
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