Threats and intimidation stalling top ICC prosecutor’s Israel case: Report

2 days ago 11

Report says Karim Khan ‘privately threatened’ by then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron with UK’s withdrawal from International Criminal Court.

Published On 3 Aug 2025

New details person emerged astir a bid of intimidation campaigns, including threats to information arsenic good arsenic imaginable sanctions, directed astatine the British main authoritative of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arsenic helium pursues an probe into alleged warfare crimes committed by Israeli officials successful Gaza.

Karim Khan has besides been subjected to aggravated unit from apical British and United States nationalist officials for The Hague tribunal to retreat the apprehension warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and erstwhile Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, the Middle East Eye (MEE) quality website reported.

The latest study followed an earlier revelation by the London-based online work successful July that Khan and the ICC were threatened with being “destroyed” if they pursued the lawsuit against Israel.

According to the MEE study published connected Friday, Khan was “privately threatened” by then-British Foreign Secretary David Cameron successful April 2024 that the UK would defund and retreat from the ICC if it issued warrants against the Israeli leaders, which it did truthful successful November.

In May 2024, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham besides “threatened” Khan with sanctions if helium applied for the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, the MEE reported.

Since then, the medication of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions connected Khan and 4 ICC judges.

Khan besides received a information briefing informing him that Israel’s Mossad quality bureau “was progressive successful The Hague and posed a imaginable threat” to him, the MEE reported.

Khan, who is presently connected indefinite permission amid allegations of intersexual misconduct, was besides reportedly told by his pistillate accuser successful substance messages that determination were “games being played” and attempts to marque her a “pawn successful immoderate crippled I don’t privation to play”, according to the MEE.

The ICC investigations into Khan’s alleged behaviour were aboriginal closed aft the pistillate witnesser refused to cooperate with them, but a abstracted United Nations probe remains.

Khan has strenuously denied each the allegations against him.

Two weeks earlier helium was forced to spell on permission successful May 2025, Khan besides reportedly met with Nicholas Kaufman, a British-Israeli defence lawyer astatine the ICC, to sermon the Israel investigation, the MEE study said.

In a enactment of the gathering connected record astatine the ICC, Kaufman reportedly told Khan that if the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant were not dropped, “they volition destruct you, and they volition destruct the court.”

The study said immoderate ICC lawyers person privately “expressed doubts” astir the allegations against Khan, which emerged aft the apprehension warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant were issued.

The ICC issued apprehension warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas person Mohammed Deif connected charges of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity implicit the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks connected Israel and Israel’s consequent warfare successful Gaza. Deif has since been confirmed killed successful an Israeli attack.

The Israeli defendants stay internationally wanted suspects, and ICC subordinate states are nether a ineligible work to apprehension them.

Israel’s war connected Gaza has killed astatine slightest 60,430 Palestinians and wounded 148,722.

In caller months, Israel has been accused of committing caller warfare crimes aft reports that Israeli forces intentionally changeable and killed hundreds of unarmed Palestinian civilians waiting to cod humanitarian assistance from GHF nutrient organisation points.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies

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