Israel says ICC should revoke arrest warrants for its leaders, bar prosecutor from case due to sexual misconduct allegations

Israel files an appeal to the International Criminal Court asking it to bar its prosecutor, Karim Khan, from any involvement in the cases against Israeli officials.

The appeal also seeks the revocation of the arrest warrants issued by the court on Khan’s request against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, which include allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war in Gaza.

Khan is currently on leave from his position, due to an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct made against him by a female staffer at the ICC, while a second woman came forward in August to make similar allegations.

The Foreign Ministry says that the appeal has been filed “due to grave information and reports that raise serious concerns that the prosecutor acted out of illegitimate personal motives to advance false and baseless claims against Israel.”

“This was [done] in order to divert public attention away from the severe allegations against him of serial sexual harassment against a worker who was subordinate to him,” the ministry asserts.

The ministry argues that the legal processes against Netanyahu and Gallant have been tainted in a “deep and irreversible manner,” and therefore requests that the appeals chamber of the court bar Khan from further involvement in the cases and revoke the arrest warrants.