British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said today that he will continue to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an arrest warrant issued by International Criminal Court against the Israeli Prime Minister for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip

Speaking to parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Lammy clarified that he would comply with the ICC’s request for Netanyahu’s arrest if he visited Britain, explaining that he could not ignore the order.

However, he stressed that he would continue to talk with Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials on issues such as the effort to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the increase in humanitarian aid entering the Palestinian enclave. “I think these are important issues,” he explained, requiring contacts at the government level. “I cannot conceive of circumstances in which I would not be talking to the elected representatives of the Israeli government,” he added.

Last week, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galland, as well as the head of Hamas’ military arm Ibrahim al-Masri (better known by his pseudonym Mohammed Deif) for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Israel condemned the ICC’s ruling, calling it “shameful” and “absurd”, and announced it would appeal.

David Lammy said he is obliged to forward the arrest warrant to the British judiciary. “I will forward it to the courts and they will make the decision,” he said.

For its part, France’s Foreign Ministry assessed on the arrest warrant issued by the ICC that Netanyahu “enjoys immunity” since Israel is not a member of the ICC.