ICC prosecutor threatened to drop Netanyahu arrest warrant or face ‘destruction’ – JURIST
A member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team allegedly delivered threats to Karim Khan, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating that, unless the ICC withdrew arrest warrants for Israeli officials, Khan and the court would be “destroyed,” a news outlet reported Tuesday.
British-Israeli lawyer and Nicholas Kaufman allegedly delivered the warning in May during a private meeting in the Hague. Kaufman is reportedly linked to a senior Netanyahu adviser.
The report claimed Kaufman urged Khan to reclassify the arrest warrants and their details as “confidential,” a move that would allow Israel to access allegation details and challenge them in private. Journalists from Middle East Eye (MEE) reported that Kaufman said, “They will destroy you and they will destroy the court” if the ICC further pursued arrest warrants, particularly for Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as well as Netanyahu.
Khan and his wife, who also attended the meeting, reportedly interpreted the message as a direct threat.
The meeting occurred less than two weeks before the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published sexual assault allegations against Khan. Khan announced in May that he would step down from his position pending investigation while denying allegations against him.
The WSJ article claimed that Khan used arrest warrants against Netanyahu to distract from his own alleged conduct and called the case against Netanyahu “tainted.” However, MEE journalists suggested that the timeline of events implies foul play on the part of Israeli leaders. No evidence has linked the Hague meeting to the WSJ publication or allegations against Khan.
This is not the first reported instance of international officials allegedly intimidating the ICC. Earlier this year, former UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron allegedly confronted the court over its probes into Israeli military action. In a heated phone call with Khan, Cameron warned that the UK would “defund the court and withdraw from the Rome Statute” if arrest warrants were issued for Israeli leaders. Legal experts have suggested that Cameron’s conduct, if verified, could constitute a criminal offense under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, which criminalizes efforts to intimidate or obstruct ICC officials.
Meanwhile, global rights groups have condemned a related wave of US sanctions against the ICC, introduced after the court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. A coalition of organizations warned that targeting ICC officials and those cooperating with the court risks dismantling the global system of accountability and undermines the rule of law.
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who has since been confirmed dead. The charges relate to war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The warrants have triggered fierce backlash from Israel and its allies, including calls to limit the court’s authority. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Israeli military campaign has resulted in at least 58,667 deaths and 139,974 injuries.
