FORMER ICC PROSECUTOR SAYS SHE FACED PRESSURE AND THREATS OVER PALESTINE INVESTIGATION

Tue 26 May 2026:

Former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, said she was pressured and threatened in connection with investigations related to Palestine, including direct contacts from former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Bensouda said Cohen met her twice — in Munich and New York City — and explicitly requested that she halt investigations concerning Palestine.

She described the request as direct interference in the work of the court.

According to Bensouda, the pressure later escalated into indirect threats targeting members of her family. She said her husband was followed and information was gathered about him in what she believed was an attempt to influence her decisions.

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Bensouda stated that she informed Dutch authorities about the threats but did not receive what she considered adequate protection.

She also said that member states of the ICC did not provide sufficient political backing in the face of Israeli pressure related to the Palestine investigations.

The former prosecutor stressed that the court must continue its work independently despite political pressure, arguing that international justice should not be subordinated to political interests.

The comments come amid ongoing controversy surrounding ICC investigations into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations related to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

-MEMO

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