Netanyahu blasts ICC after Qatar alleged to have made offer to chief prosecutor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slams the International Criminal Court, calling it a “corrupt and morally bankrupt institution” that “should be closed,” amid renewed controversy surrounding the court’s prosecutor.

In a post on X, Netanyahu says the ICC has acted as a “lawfare platform used by rogue regimes,” insisting that the case against Israel over its war against Hamas was baseless from the outset.

“It was clear from Day 1 that there was no merit to the absurd accusations against the State of Israel,” he writes, adding that Israel has fought “a just war by just means against a terrorist organization.”

Netanyahu’s remarks follow an unsigned Wall Street Journal op-ed that claimed a new witness statement suggests that the Qatari government promised to “look after” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan if he pursued legal action against the Israeli premier – claims denied by Khan’s legal team and rejected by Qatari officials.

According to the account, the alleged promise was discussed in the context of Khan’s hesitation about pursuing arrest warrants for Israel’s leadership.

Khan, who took leave in 2025 following allegations of sexual misconduct, is now facing advancing disciplinary proceedings after a UN inquiry found a “factual basis” for the claims, though a separate ICC panel said the evidence did not meet a criminal threshold.