"Revealed: Israeli spy chief 'threatened' ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry"
This is the headline from an article in The Guardian from 05/28/24. Prior to the current Prosecutor at the ICC the subject of opening an investigation into the conduct of Israel in the Occupied Territories had been handled by a Prosecutor named Fatou Bensouda. Yossi Cohen was the head of Israeli Intelligence at the time and is reported to have had contacts with Bensouda in an effort to get her to drop any thought of beginning an investigation. The report is sourced by several within the ICC and in Israel. One meeting in particular sticks out as a veiled threat to her and her family was made. It is reported as follows "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.” Given the established history of the Mossad nobody should doubt their ability to carry out a threat or to make it seemingly deniable.
To her credit she did go forward and her successor Mr. Khan has continued and has asked for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. But one must ask the question of whether the ICC delay in making a decision whether to honor the request of the Prosecutor has helped to bring us to the point where we are with Israel militarily attacking the UN itself and injuring UN personnel. It should be noted that the ICC received a request for a warrant for Putin and then responded within 29 days. We are now almost 5 months down the road from when Khan requested warrants regarding Israeli and Hamas leaders.
It must also be asked whether the heavy hand of the West has played a role in pressuring the ICC behind the scenes. The prosecutions have seemed aimed almost exclusively at African matters and against those on the side not in line with the desires of the West. Despite not agreeing to be under the jurisdiction of the ICC the US still has an ability to be a huge influence on what happens at the ICC by way of pressuring other nations. It has always been a point of embarrassment for the US to push for accountability for all others but never for itself such as in Iraq. Apparently our doctrine is "It's legal if we do it but not if another country does it."
The West and the US particularly expressed strong opposition to Khan requesting warrants. In other words there is not even supposed to be evidence presented, testimony given, defense given etc. Like the old "Nothing to see here, just move along." So while not the sole reason for how we got to the point of actual military attacks against the UN we have to ask whether this delay in issuing a decision about warrants has signaled to Israel which way the ICC panel of judges will go on the subject of warrants and has played a part in having emboldened Israel to believe that this dramatic escalation will bring only the usual words of concern and rebuke. Or is this just an example of the relative weakness of International bodies relative to heavy handed influence of the West and a nation using that imbalance to enact any military action it pleases? Even so far as targeting the lives of UN troops and to make threats of violence against those who would investigate their actions?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/28/israeli-spy-chief-icc-prosecutor-war-crimes-inquiry