ALBAWABA- International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has publicly described, for the first time in nearly a year, what he called significant pressure and threats from senior Western officials over his office’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
In an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo, published on Wednesday, Khan addressed the backlash that followed his May 2024 application for warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
He said he had been cleared of separate sexual misconduct allegations, but noted that he remains uncertain why the case has not been formally closed.
Khan said that in April 2024, then-UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned him privately that issuing warrants against Israeli officials would be “like dropping a hydrogen bomb,” and suggested the UK could respond by defunding the court and withdrawing from the International Criminal Court’s founding treaty.
He also described a May 2024 call in which US Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly warned that proceeding with the warrants would amount to “shooting the hostages yourself,” and threatened sanctions against both Khan and the court. He said, "This court is for Africa and thugs like Putin. It is not for democracies like Israel and the USA."
“[Lindsey Graham] said, this court is for Africa and thugs like Putin. It is not for democracies like Israel and the [USA]”@mehdirhasan sits down with top ICC prosecutor @KarimKhanQC as he recalls US Senator Lindsey Graham telling him that the ICC is below Israel and the US. pic.twitter.com/UMXHeCtULN
— Zeteo (@zeteo_news) April 29, 2026
According to Khan, Graham added that the ICC was intended for cases involving countries in Africa or figures such as Vladimir Putin, rather than democracies like Israel.
The warrants were ultimately issued in November 2024, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. Judges also found reasonable grounds to believe that attacks had been intentionally directed against civilians.
Israel and the United States rejected the court’s jurisdiction and dismissed the case as politically motivated. Washington imposed sanctions on Khan, his team, and several ICC judges, while Israel and its allies launched a broader campaign criticising the court.
Khan maintained that his office acted independently and based its decisions on evidence, saying that external pressure was aimed at undermining the rule of international law.
