Israeli spy chief ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor over war crimes case: Report
The former chief of Mossad threatened the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor to try to get a 2021 war crimes probe dropped, a report has claimed.
Yossi Cohen, ex-chief of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, threatened the ICC’s former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in a series of secret meetings, an investigation by The Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday. The report tallies with others suggesting Israel and its main Western allies have sought to pressure international justice bodies.
Cohen’s covert contact to pressure Bensouda took place in the years leading up to her decision to open a formal probe into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestinian territories, the report said, citing numerous anonymous sources.
Last week, Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan, applied for an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu based on that probe launched in 2021.
Khan announced his office had “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant bear “criminal responsibility” for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
One individual briefed on Cohen’s activities said he had used “despicable tactics” against Bensouda as part of an ultimately unsuccessful effort to intimidate and influence her.
According to accounts shared with ICC officials, he is alleged to have told her: “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.”
