By SCM Correspondent
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel welcomed the unprecedented decision by member states of the International Criminal Court to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on Friday, seizing on Mr. Khan’s dismissal following a sexual misconduct investigation to mount a broad attack on the court’s legitimacy and call for its collapse.
In a official statement released following consultations with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr. Netanyahu declared that Mr. Khan’s removal “exposes the truth” behind the prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants for senior Israeli leadership.
”Karim Khan was accused of sexually harassing women who worked under him,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “It was precisely as these allegations emerged that he canceled his planned visit to Israel… and suddenly moved to pursue arrest warrants against me and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He did so to divert attention from the allegations against him and to rally Israel’s enemies around him as a political shield.”
The Assembly of States Parties—the governing body representing the 125 member nations of the Rome Statute—voted 82 to 0 in a secret ballot at United Nations headquarters in New York to permanently dismiss Mr. Khan. The move followed an extensive disciplinary review and a UN watchdog investigation into workplace sexual harassment and abusive conduct reported by a subordinate staff member.
Mr. Khan, a British barrister who took office in 2021, has consistently denied all accusations of misconduct. His legal team condemned the vote, alleging procedural unfairness and stating that Mr. Khan intends to challenge the decision “through all available legal mechanisms.”
Despite Mr. Khan’s dismissal, legal experts and court officials emphasized that the arrest warrants issued against Mr. Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and top Hamas officials remain legally binding. Under ICC procedure, arrest warrants are granted independently by a panel of judges, not the prosecutor alone.
U.S. Alignment and the Push Against The Hague
Mr. Netanyahu highlighted a recent conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reaffirming American alignment in opposing the tribunal. Neither the United States nor Israel is a state party to the Rome Statute that established the court.
Washington has stepped up pressure on the court in recent months, threatening sanctions against officials and warning member states of increased scrutiny if they comply with ICC warrants.
With Mr. Khan removed, the Office of the Prosecutor will continue under the leadership of its deputy prosecutors while member states prepare a process to select a successor.
