In a fiery post on X, formerly known as Twitter, British Labour MP Richard Burgon condemned the Trump administration’s decision to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) judges.
Burgon described the move as “a sick joke,” arguing that sanctions should target Israel to stop what he called a “genocide” in Gaza, rather than judges pursuing justice for alleged war crimes.
“Trump has imposed more sanctions on International Criminal Court judges for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over their war crimes in Gaza,” Burgon wrote.
“What a sick joke. It’s Israel that should be hit with sanctions so it stops the genocide – not the judges seeking Justice.”
The post comes in direct response to the U.S. announcement on August 20, 2025, where the Trump administration expanded sanctions on ICC officials.
According to the U.S. State Department, four ICC individuals—two judges and two prosecutors—face asset freezes and visa restrictions for their roles in investigations into alleged American and Israeli actions.
This escalates a longstanding US. policy, echoing sanctions imposed during Trump’s first term in 2020 over probes into U.S. activities in Afghanistan.
The ICC, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including starvation as a method of warfare.
Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, leading Washington to denounce the court’s jurisdiction as illegitimate.
Burgon, the Labour MP for Leeds East and a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights, has consistently called for international pressure on Israel.
In February 2025, he urged the UK government in Parliament to impose widespread sanctions on Israel to enforce compliance with international law, including arms embargoes and trade restrictions
This stance aligns with his earlier criticisms, where he accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide, emphasizing that only sanctions could halt such actions.
The ICC condemned the U.S. sanctions as a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence, an affront to the rules-based international order and victims worldwide.
Human rights groups echoed this, warning that the measures undermine global accountability for atrocities.
Burgon’s comments reflect broader divisions in UK politics over the Israel-Gaza conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 Palestinian lives since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.
Trump’s actions have drawn international backlash, with allies like France expressing dismay.
