The sexual assault allegations against the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Karim Khan, are not, as he claims, an attempt to punish him for demanding an arrest warrant against the prime minister and the defense minister of Israel. On the contrary, his attitude towards Israel noticeably worsened precisely after these accusations appeared.
The Wall Street Journal reports this.
The article traces in detail the changes in Karim Khan’s rhetoric and his intentions toward Israel before and after the accusations against him emerged. There is a key moment in which his posture becomes more rigid, which, according to the authors, indicates a turning point in his approach.
The article traces in detail the changes in Karim Khan’s rhetoric and his intentions toward Israel before and after the accusations against him emerged. There is a key moment in which his posture becomes more rigid, which, according to the authors, indicates a turning point in his approach.
The article notes that before the allegations came to light, Karim Khan showed a measured approach to Israeli actions. In conversations with US senators, he emphasized that the investigation would begin only after the end of hostilities and that criminal cases would not be initiated without personal negotiations with Israeli leaders.
They were apparently discussing meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and possibly other high-ranking officials. To this end, Khan even began planning a visit to Israel, scheduling meetings for May 20. However, this trip never took place.
Suddenly, Karim Khan gave an interview to CNN, where he said he would request an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant. He then canceled all meeting plans and scaled back the preliminary investigation. This abrupt change in position caused shock in Israel and discontent among American partners, who felt deceived by their previous assurances of moderation and openness to dialogue.
A few weeks earlier, at the end of April, a junior employee in his office told colleagues about the scandalous sexual harassment by Karim Khan. Details of the incidents soon became public. In one episode, he locked her in an office and touched her without permission.
Other times he put his hands in the pockets of his clothes. One night, Khan unexpectedly arrived at her hotel room and insisted on being let in.
Attacking Israel has become a convenient way for Karim Khan to divert attention from allegations of sexual misconduct. His desire to obtain arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant, excluding from the investigation his political opponent Benny Gantz, who was also a member of the military cabinet, raises suspicions.
It should be noted that although the cause-and-effect relationship between the accusations against Karim Khan and his attempts to obtain arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant has not been established, this makes it possible to understand the logic of the development of events. At the same time, the ICC declined to comment on the publication’s request for charges brought against Karim Khan.
Previously, Kursor wrote that a statement in English appeared on the Foreign Ministry’s official website condemning the ICC for the “ridiculous and shameful” decision authorizing arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister and Defense Minister.
