The UK threatened to defund the world’s major war crimes court and abandon a global genocide treaty to protect Israel’s criminal prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu. The official who made the threat has not been identified. However, one name that hasbeen circulating since June 2025 is ex-Tory PM David Cameron.
The UK is a founder member of both the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute. The horrors of the Second World War led to their creation.
So much for the ‘rules-based international order’…
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan confirmed the UK’s threats in a recent submission to the court. Commenting further on the revelation, the Guardian reported:
Karim Khan made the allegation in a submission to the court defending his decision to prosecute Israel’s prime minister.
The UK reportedly threatened the International Criminal Court in a call on 23 April 2024:
Khan said the official had argued that issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defence minister, was disproportionate.
The International Criminal Court is currently pursuing Netanyahu for genocide. The US has attacked the court with threats. US officials added new sanctions today, 12 December 2025. The US says these are due to “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
Israel and US war crimes
US anger at the ICC not only concerns Israel but also Afghanistan, where US troops are alleged to have committed war crimes. Additionally, Trump has called for the court to:
amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials
The US government added that:
If the court does not act on this U.S. demand and two others – dropping investigations of Israeli leaders over the Gaza war and formally ending an earlier probe of U.S. troops over their actions in Afghanistan – Washington may penalize more ICC officials and could sanction the court itself.
The US is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court, nor is Israel. The sanctions were originally tabled on 6 February 2025. US claims in the original announcement:
both nations are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war.
Sure, buddy…
The US said the court was “malign” and threatened its sovereignty and military personnel, and promised
tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions.
The sanctions could subject court officials to travel bans to the US, among other measures. Violations would result in fines and jail. They could also apply to the family members of its staff.
The so-called western ‘rules-based order’ was always a mostly smoke-and-mirrors affair.
This ‘order’ has now been fully exposed as fraudulent. The US and UK clearly see the International Criminal Court, the Rome Statute and international law something meant for official enemies. They’d sooner wreck it all than face the consequences. Because there is no avoiding the fact that Israel’s crimes are British and American crimes too.
Featured image via Law for Palestine/AP
By Joe Glenton
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