ICC is guilty of drawing “moral equivalence”

(MENAFN) According to reports, former British Prime Minister David Cameron attempted to pressure the International Criminal Court (ICC) into halting plans to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials by threatening the court’s funding and the UK’s participation in its founding treaty.

Last year, the ICC announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside warrants for three Hamas leaders, in connection with alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict. In the wake of these decisions, the US government-imposed sanctions on Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, accusing him of overreach by targeting American allies.

According to individuals with knowledge of the situation, the prosecutor had informed UK officials as early as April about his intent to pursue legal action. Reports state that Cameron, then serving as Foreign Secretary in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, called Khan and warned him against proceeding. The warning allegedly included a threat to cut the UK’s financial support to the court and to withdraw entirely from the Rome Statute—the international treaty that established the ICC.

Described as an intense exchange, the conversation reportedly became heated, with Cameron allegedly raising his voice and interrupting Khan multiple times. The prosecutor, according to the sources, defended the importance of maintaining an impartial legal system, cautioning that selective enforcement of justice would undermine the legitimacy of international law.

The exchange reportedly concluded without resolution, and within weeks, Khan publicly confirmed his intention to seek the arrest warrants.

In the aftermath, Cameron openly criticized the ICC’s decision, accusing the court of drawing a “moral equivalence” between the actions of Israeli leaders and those of Hamas.

More recently, Israeli authorities have renewed calls for the ICC to cancel the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. Israel, like the United States, Russia, and China, does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, having never signed the Rome Statute.

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