ICC prosecutor warned to drop Netanyahu case or be ‘destroyed’: Report

A British-Israeli defence lawyer astatine the International Criminal Court linked to a Netanyahu advisor delivered connection to Karim Khan. 

The main authoritative of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has been warned that if arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and erstwhile Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are not withdrawn, helium and the ICC would beryllium “destroyed”, the Middle East Eye (MEE) reports.

The informing was delivered successful May to Khan by Nicholas Kaufman, a British-Israeli defence lawyer astatine the tribunal linked to a Netanyahu advisor who said the Israeli leader’s ineligible advisor told him helium was “authorised” to marque Khan a connection that would let Khan to “climb down the tree”, the quality website said.

According to a enactment of the gathering connected record astatine the ICC and seen by MEE, Kaufman told Khan to use to the tribunal to reclassify the warrants and underlying accusation arsenic “confidential”.

This, it was suggested, would let Israel to entree the details of the allegations, which it could not bash astatine the time, and situation them successful backstage – without the result being made public.

Kaufman warned Khan that if it emerged Khan was applying for much apprehension warrants for far-right Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich implicit their promotion of amerciable Israeli settlements successful the occupied West Bank, past “all options would beryllium disconnected the table.”

Kaufman told Khan: “They volition destruct you, and they volition destruct the court.”

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

Since then, the Israeli defendants are internationally wanted suspects, and ICC subordinate states are nether ineligible work to apprehension them though respective person been wary to hold to it.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations peculiar rapporteur connected the quality rights concern successful the occupied Palestinian territory, deed retired this period against countries that person allowed Netanyahu to alert implicit their airspace en way to the United States, suggesting that they whitethorn person flouted their obligations nether planetary law.

Albanese said the governments of Italy, France and Greece needed to explicate wherefore they provided “safe passage” to Netanyahu, who they were theoretically “obligated to arrest” arsenic an internationally wanted fishy erstwhile helium flew implicit their territory connected his mode to conscionable US President Donald Trump for talks.

All 3 countries are signatories of the Rome Statute, the pact that established The Hague-based ICC successful 2002.

Kaufman told MEE: “I bash not contradict that I told Mr Khan that helium should beryllium looking for a mode to extricate himself from his errors. I americium not authorised to marque immoderate proposals connected behalf of the Israeli authorities nor did I.”

Khan and his wife, Dato Shyamala Alagendra, who besides attended the gathering with Kaufman, some confirmed this to beryllium a threat, according to the enactment of the gathering seen by MEE.

Netanyahu’s bureau did not respond to requests for remark from MEE.

At the clip of the meeting, Khan was facing probe implicit intersexual misconduct claims. Two weeks later, Khan stepped down connected indefinite permission aft the work by The Wall Street Journal of caller allegations of intersexual assault.

Khan has strenuously denied each the allegations against him.

MEE revealed details of Khan’s gathering with Kaufman connected May 1 astatine a edifice successful The Hague.

Kaufman is an ICC defence lawyer whose existent enactment includes representing Rodrigo Duterte, the erstwhile president of the Philippines presently successful ICC custody. He was arrested connected an ICC warrant implicit allegations that “crimes against humanity” were committed during what his authorities called its “war connected drugs”.