The nine-year campaign by Israel against the International Criminal Court (ICC) involved a series of covert operations and diplomatic maneuvers aimed at obstructing the court’s investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Israeli leaders.
Timeline and Initiation
📌Start of the Campaign: The campaign began in 2015, shortly after Palestine was recognized as a state by the UN General Assembly and joined the ICC. This move was seen by Israeli officials as a significant threat, prompting a coordinated response to protect Israeli leaders from potential prosecutions.
Key Players and Agencies
📌Involved Agencies: The campaign involved multiple Israeli intelligence agencies, including Mossad, Shin Bet (domestic security service), the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, and Unit 8200 (cyber-intelligence division).
📌Leadership: The operations were reportedly led by high-ranking officials, including then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who played a central role in the intimidation and espionage efforts against ICC officials.
Tactics and Methods
📌Espionage and Surveillance: Israeli intelligence agencies conducted extensive surveillance on ICC officials, intercepting their communications, including phone calls, emails, and messages. This provided Israel with advance knowledge of the ICC’s plans and allowed them to strategize accordingly.
📌Intimidation and Threats: Cohen and other officials allegedly used threats and intimidation tactics against ICC prosecutors, particularly Fatou Bensouda. These included veiled threats to her and her family’s safety, as well as attempts to discredit her using compromising information.
📌Diplomatic Pressure: Israel also exerted significant diplomatic pressure on other countries and international organizations to isolate the ICC and discourage it from pursuing investigations against Israeli leaders.
Specific Incidents
📌Threats to Bensouda: Cohen reportedly threatened Bensouda in a series of clandestine meetings, suggesting that her security and that of her family could be compromised if she continued with the investigation. These threats were part of a broader effort to intimidate her into abandoning the probe.
📌Intercepted Communications: Israeli intelligence intercepted communications between ICC officials and Palestinian contacts, gaining insights into the court’s investigative steps and using this information to preemptively counteract the ICC’s actions.
Impact and Response
📌Effectiveness: Despite these efforts, the campaign ultimately failed to prevent the ICC from pursuing its investigations. In March 2021, Bensouda announced the opening of a formal investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
📌Continued Efforts: The campaign continued under Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan, who has also faced similar pressures and threats. Khan recently sought arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking a significant escalation in the ICC’s efforts.
International Reaction
📌Condemnation and Support: The international community, including human rights organizations, has condemned Israel’s actions against the ICC. The ICC has implemented countermeasures to protect its staff and ensure the integrity of its investigations.