LONDON: Lord Hermer, the attorney general for England and Wales, signed an open letter in 2023 that said Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories could 鈥渁mount to apartheid,鈥� the Daily Telegraph reported.

The letter labeled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition government as 鈥渇ar right,鈥� and warned that The Hague could rule that Israeli policy meets the legal description of apartheid.

The letter called on then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to avoid intervening in the International Court of Justice case against Israel.

Last July, the ICJ ruled that Israel鈥檚 occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful, but stopped short of describing the policy as apartheid.

The letter, organized by Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights and the Balfour Project, said: 鈥淭he Israeli government is led by a coalition of far-right parties whose common goal is the formal annexation of the West Bank and the extension of a one-state reality of unequal rights over more than 5 million Palestinians under occupation.

鈥淚t is perfectly possible that the court will consider aspects of that situation to amount to apartheid.鈥�

Lord Hermer, one of two Jewish members of the Cabinet, has publicly highlighted his belief in Israel鈥檚 right to defend itself, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer鈥檚 decision to appoint him was viewed by some as a sign of the UK taking a stronger position on Israel.

Lord Hermer was involved in the British decision last July to withdraw objections to the International Criminal Court鈥檚 issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In August, Lord Hermer refused to approve weapon sales to Israel until it was confirmed that international law was being abided by, during a Foreign Office review into arms transfers to the country.