UK, US threat ICC to prevent issuance of arrest warrants against Zionist leaders

THE HAGUE, Dec. 13 (YPA) – Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, revealed on Saturday the British government threatened to stop funding the ICC and leave the Rome statute that set it up if it pressed ahead with plans to issue an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Khan’s statement came as part of a detailed memorandum he submitted to defend the prosecution’s decision to proceed with the prosecution of Netanyahu, in light of increasing political pressure from several international parties.

According to the Guardian newspaper, Khan explained that the threat was issued during a phone call with a British official on April 23, 2024, without disclosing his name, while media reports suggested that foreign minister David Cameron was behind the threats.

Khan pointed out that the British official considered that issuing two arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Galant would be “disproportionate,” noting that the pressure was not limited to London, as he also received warnings from US officials of “catastrophic consequences” if the warrants were issued.

The ICC’s prosecutor reported that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told him in a May 1 call that the issuance of arrest warrants “practically means that Hamas may shoot Israeli prisoners,” in an attempt to link the judicial decision with the security implications.

He explained that he had not seen any indication from the “Israeli” government of its intention to cooperate with the court or change its behavior, which prompted him to continue with his plan and refer legal requests related to the file of charges to a specialized team.

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