The decision of the International Criminal Court to request arrest mandates against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials was established after his chief prosecutor Karim Khan was an internal investigation for allegations of sexual assault, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
A Malaysian lawyer who had worked as a help from Khan and accompanied him during several trips abroad told the United Nations investigators that he had forced him to meet non -consensual sexual meetings in New York, Paris and Hague.
She said that she was initially silent due to fears of professional reprisals and concerns about her mother’s medical expenses. The allegations were officially reported to the senior ICC officials in April 2024.
Khan would have learned the complaint shortly before canceling a planned trip to Israel and Gaza. A few days later, he publicly announced the court to request arrest warrants against Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense at the time, Yoav Gallant. The calendar has raised questions in the court and among diplomats as to whether the decision was influenced by a thorough examination around Khan’s personal conduct.
Khan denied all the accusations. His legal team said that his prosecutor’s work was based solely on legal and proof considerations. “He is categorically false that he has engaged in sexual misconduct of all kinds,” they said.
The aid, which joined the Khan team in 2023 after six years at the ICC, said that it felt trapped in its position, continuing to work so as not to compromise the Gaza investigation of the court, which it supported.
The UN testimony detailed the coercion presumed by Khan
According to the testimony examined by The Wall Street JournalThe woman described an incident in New York where Khan initiated sexual contact in a hotel room. She said that “he started touching her sexually” and that behavior has been underway for months. She said that she had tried to leave the room several times, but he took her hand and finally pulled her in bed. Then she said, he withdrew his pants and forced sex.
“He always holds me and leads me to bed,” she said in testimony. “It is the feeling of being trapped.”
Despite the ongoing abuses, she continued to work on the Khan team out of fear and not to compromise a case in which she believed.
In June 2024, the ICC issued arrest mandates against Netanyahu and Gallant on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The accusations focused on the assertions that Israel has obstructed humanitarian aid in Gaza after the October 7 attack in Hamas.
It was the first time that the court targeted a democratically elected leader in a country aligned by the West. The decision was sentenced by Israel and the United States. The Biden administration warned this decision passing on diplomatic efforts, and former American president Donald Trump then imposed sanctions on Khan.
Khan canceled the trip to Israel a few days after the misconduct warning
Khan had planned a visit to Israel to assess the conditions on the ground, a journey supported by US officials who had hoped to dissuade the accusations. However, shortly after being confronted with the ICC staff about the sexual assault complaint, Khan canceled the visit and announced the mandates. Some senior officials have advised to publish the announcement, but Khan proceeded, joined by the main prosecutors.
Although the ICC has concluded an internal investigation without action, the United Nations internal surveillance services office has opened an independent investigation into allegations and possible reprisals.
According to The Wall Street JournalKhan put pressure on the complainant to remove his allegations. He warned it that the pursuit of the case would damage the two reputations and undermine the work of the ICC. He would have said, “Think of the Palestinian arrest mandates.”
The woman then contacted members of the board of directors of the court to express her distress and provide additional documentation, according to the report.
Khan refused to take a leave and continued to represent the ICC in the global forums. Under the CPI laws, only a majority vote by the 125 member states of the Court could withdraw from its functions.
CPI disorders increased after allegations of misconduct and the case of Gaza
The allegations of misconduct and their proximity to the Gaza affair triggered a wider crisis for the ICC. Some Member States, including Hungary, have planned to withdraw from the court. France and Germany, long -standing supporters of the ICC, have not confirmed if they would apply the arrest warrant if Netanyahu was to visit.
Legal experts remained divided. Some have said that Israeli statements after October 7 – such as the declarations of a “total seat” on Gaza – could support war crimes accusations. Israeli officials argued that actions were necessary for national security and did not target civilians.
