Secret Conspiracy: Former Mossad Chief Implicated in Pressuring ICC Prosecutor
The Guardian reported, citing sources, that former Israeli intelligence chief Yossi Cohen is personally implicated in a covert conspiracy to pressure former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Investigative journalist Harry Davis revealed from Jerusalem that Cohen threatened Bensouda in a series of secret meetings, attempting to dissuade her from investigating war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. The investigation detailed Cohen's secret communications with Bensouda in the years preceding her decision to formally open investigations into Israel's alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to The Guardian, current ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan's decision to request arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders marks a step long feared by Israeli military and political institutions. The report further stated that Cohen personally engaged in a conspiracy against the ICC, claiming it posed a threat of legal prosecution against Israeli military personnel, as per a senior Israeli official.
A second Israeli source familiar with the operation against Bensouda stated that Mossad's goal was to recruit the prosecutor to align with Israeli demands. The report attributed to a third source, unnamed, highlighted Cohen's role as an unofficial envoy of Netanyahu, aiming to intimidate Bensouda. Despite these efforts, sources confirmed that Bensouda briefed a select group of senior ICC officials about Cohen's attempts to influence her, amidst concerns over his ongoing and increasingly threatening behavior.
Sources disclosed that Bensouda revealed Cohen's pressures on several occasions to halt progress on the Palestinian case before the ICC. Additionally, the Mossad showed keen interest in Bensouda's family members, obtaining secret recordings of her spouse, which Israeli officials allegedly sought to exploit to tarnish her reputation.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber affirmed its jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories in February 2021, followed by Bensouda's announcement of a criminal investigation the next month. However, momentum for the investigation surged only after Hamas attacks on Israel in early October, leading to subsequent conflict in Gaza, culminating in last week's requests for arrest warrants.
