As the British High Court (ICC) is looking into alleged war crimes committed by Israeli officials in Gaza, new details have emerged about a number of intimidation campaigns, including threats to safety and potential sanctions.
According to the Middle East Eye (MEE) news website, top British and US government officials have been pressing The Hague court to revoke the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
The most recent report came after a previous leak by a London-based online magazine in July that claimed Khan and the ICC were threatened with being “destroyed” if they tried to prosecute Israel.
In April 2024, Khan was “privately threatened” by then-British Foreign Secretary David Cameron that the country would defund and leave the ICC if it issued warrants against the Israeli leaders, which the MEE report published on Friday revealed.
According to the MEE, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham “threatened” Khan with sanctions if he applied for the warrants to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant in May 2024.
Khan and four ICC judges have been subject to sanctions by US President Donald Trump’s administration since then.
Khan also received a security alert letting him know that the Israeli-based Mossad intelligence agency “was active in The Hague and posed a potential threat,” according to the MEE.
According to the MEE, Khan, who is currently on an indefinite leave due to sexual misconduct allegations, was also allegedly informed by his female accuser in text messages that “games were being played” and that she was being a “pawn in some game I don’t want to play.”
After the female witness’s refusal to cooperate with the ICC investigations, Khan’s alleged behavior was later ended, but a separate UN investigation is still ongoing.
Khan has vigorously refuted every claim made against him.
According to the MEE report, Khan also reportedly met with British-Israeli defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman to talk about the Israel investigation two weeks before being forced to take a leave of absence in May 2025.
If the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant weren’t dropped, Kaufman reportedly told Khan in a note from the meeting that “they will destroy you, and they will destroy the court.”
According to the report, some ICC attorneys have privately “expressed doubts” about the allegations against Khan following the release of the arrest warrants for Gallant and Netanyahu.
In connection with the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s subsequent conflict in Gaza, the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Mohammed Deif, a leader of the Hamas, and Netanyahu. Deif was later confirmed dead in an Israeli attack.
The Israeli defendants are still wanted internationally, and ICC member states are required to make their arrests.
At least 60 Palestinians and 430 Palestinians have been killed and 148 wounded in Israel’s war against Gaza.
Source: Aljazeera
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