The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed this Wednesday that it had accepted Israeli prosecutor Karim Khan’s withdrawal request from Israel, accusing him of wanting to “distract attention” from the charges against him by issuing arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes.
Israeli diplomatic spokesman Oren Marmorstein announced on Monday
Karim Khan, who is currently on leave due to an investigation into him over allegations of sexual harassment, according to Oren Marmorstein, will issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “distract public attention from the serious allegations against him”.
“Prosecutors allegedly acted for inappropriate personal reasons to bring false and unfounded charges against Israel,” the spokesperson said.
Benyamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant are suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Starvation, murder and mayhem are among the accusations.
The ICC, based in The Hague (Netherlands), published a document on its website on Wednesday confirming the receipt of “the prosecutor’s disqualification request and additional measures”, without further details.
According to several media outlets, Karim Khan has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior towards a female staff member, a charge he calls baseless. Earlier this month, Qatar denied allegations regarding the case involving prosecutors, following the publication of an article in British newspaper The Guardian accusing the Gulf state of trying to discredit a woman who filed a complaint against Karim Khan.
Israel’s challenge to ICC jurisdiction
The ICC is currently considering Israel’s challenge to its jurisdiction. He said no in July to Israel’s request to reject the arrest warrant, and appealed the decision in October. Founded in 2002, the ICC tries individuals accused of the worst atrocities such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Accusations of genocide carried out by Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have increased since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, after attacks by the Islamic movement Hamas on Israel claimed the lives of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.
Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has left more than 69,500 people dead, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory’s Health Ministry, which the UN considers reliable. A fragile ceasefire has been in effect since October 10.
