NEW DELHI: The former head of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, allegedly intimidated an international criminal court chief prosecutor in an attempt to persuade her to drop a war crimes probe, the Guardian reported.
Yossi Cohencontactedthe ICC‘s then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, in a series of secret meetings in the years preceding her decision to launch a formal investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
That inquiry, which began in 2021, concluded last week when Bensouda’s successor Karim Khan stated that he was seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the country’s conduct in the Gaza war.
“You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family,” Cohen reportedly told Bensouda as per the accounts shared by ICC officials, the Guardian reported.
Calling Cohen’s act as that of using “despicable tactics” and “stalking”, two ICC officials said that the Mossad was also interested in Bensouda’s family members and got transcripts of secret recordings of her husband.
Responding to these allegations, a representative for Israel’s prime minister’s office told the Guardian, “The questions forwarded to us are replete with many false and unfounded allegations meant to hurt the state of Israel.”
These revelations came inas the current chief prosecutor, Khan, warned in recent days that he will not hesitate to prosecute “attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence” ICC staff.
According to legal experts and former ICC officials, the Mossad’s efforts to intimidate or put pressure on Bensouda may constitute crimes against the administration of justice under article 70 of the Rome statute, the treaty that founded the court.
Yossi Cohencontactedthe ICC‘s then-prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, in a series of secret meetings in the years preceding her decision to launch a formal investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
That inquiry, which began in 2021, concluded last week when Bensouda’s successor Karim Khan stated that he was seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the country’s conduct in the Gaza war.
“You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family,” Cohen reportedly told Bensouda as per the accounts shared by ICC officials, the Guardian reported.
Calling Cohen’s act as that of using “despicable tactics” and “stalking”, two ICC officials said that the Mossad was also interested in Bensouda’s family members and got transcripts of secret recordings of her husband.
Responding to these allegations, a representative for Israel’s prime minister’s office told the Guardian, “The questions forwarded to us are replete with many false and unfounded allegations meant to hurt the state of Israel.”
These revelations came inas the current chief prosecutor, Khan, warned in recent days that he will not hesitate to prosecute “attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence” ICC staff.
According to legal experts and former ICC officials, the Mossad’s efforts to intimidate or put pressure on Bensouda may constitute crimes against the administration of justice under article 70 of the Rome statute, the treaty that founded the court.