By Michael Daventry
LONDON
A group including lawmakers Tuesday called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Britain to be cancelled.
In an open letter to The Guardian newspaper, 21 parliamentarians, academics and trade union leaders said Netanyahu “must bear responsibility for the war crimes identified by the UN human rights council” following last year’s Israeli offensive in Gaza.
British Prime Minister David Cameron should “not be welcoming the man who presides over Israel’s occupation and its siege of Gaza,” the letter added.
The Israeli leader is expected to face protests when he arrives in London Wednesday. Calls for a demonstration outside Downing Street - Cameron’s official London residence - have been shared by thousands on social media.
More than 100,000 have signed an online petition calling for Netanyahu’s arrest on war crimes charges.
The British government said Netanyahu was entitled to “complete immunity from criminal jurisdiction” under international law.
In July last year, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against Gaza that resulted in more than 2,160 Palestinian deaths, mostly civilians.
