The Guardian: The former head of the Mossad threatened the prosecutor of the ICC because of the war crimes investigation
The former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service allegedly threatened the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in secret meetings, trying to pressure her to drop the war crimes investigation, the Guardian writes.
Yossi Cohen secretly contacted then-ICC prosecutor Fata Bensouda in the years leading up to her decision to open an official investigation in 2021 into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
That investigation culminated last Sunday when prosecutor Bensud’s successor, Karim Khan, announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his country’s actions in the Gaza war.
Prosecutors’ decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, as well as three Hamas leaders, is an outcome long feared by Israel’s political and military establishment.
Cohen was personally involved in the operation against the ICC while he was director of the Mossad, and his activities were authorized at the highest level and justified because the court was considered a threat to persecute members of the Israeli military, as an unnamed Israeli official claimed.
Another Israeli official said the Mossad’s goal was to compromise the prosecutor or get her to cooperate with Israel’s demands.
A third source familiar with the effort said Cohen acted as Netanyahu’s “unofficial messenger.”
Cohen, who was one of Netanyahu’s closest aides at the time, personally spearheaded the Mossad’s involvement in a nearly decade-long campaign to subvert the court.
Four sources confirmed that Bensuda briefed a small group of senior ICC officials on Cohen’s efforts, concerned about his increasing persistence and threatening behavior.
Bensouda officially informed the ICC that Cohen pressured her several times not to open a criminal investigation into the Palestinian case.
“You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to get involved in things that would compromise your or your family’s safety,” Cohen allegedly told the prosecutor, according to what the ICC official said.
One person who spoke about Cohen’s activities said he used disgusting tactics as part of an effort that ultimately failed to sway her and scare her. His behavior has been compared to stalking.
Among other things, transcripts of her husband’s secret recording were used, two sources said.
The revelation of Cohen’s activities is part of an upcoming investigation by the Guardian and two Israeli media outlets aimed at revealing how multiple Israeli intelligence agencies have been waging war against the ICC for years.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office responded to the Guardian’s questions that the accusations are false and baseless and that the aim is to harm the state of Israel. Cohen did not respond to a request for comment, and Bensuda declined.