An investigation has revealed a nine-year campaign by Israeli intelligence aimed at interfering with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The campaign included actions such as surveillance, hacking, and intimidation, allegedly directed by Yossi Cohen, former head of Mossad and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The campaign began in 2015 after Palestine was recognized as a member of the ICC, giving the court jurisdiction over alleged war crimes in the region. Efforts included spying on ICC officials' communications with Palestinians and attempts to undermine the court's investigations by opening retroactive investigations in Israel.
One of the most significant incidents involved Cohen presenting photographs of ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s husband, taken covertly, during a meeting where he tried to persuade her not to pursue an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Recently, Karim Khan, Bensouda’s successor, announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three senior Hamas officials. The ICC’s ongoing investigations and recent developments highlight the continuing tensions over accountability and jurisdiction in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.