Organizations urge Prosecutors to investigate Israeli interference in the ICC

A group of organizations has called on the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to investigate possible Israeli interference at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The organizations believe the investigation should be geared towards “threats, blackmailing, and wiretapping of ICC employees."

The organizations are basing their comments on a report by the British newspaper The Guardian. They reported on the practices in May. The paper reported at the time that the Israeli secret service had been trying to disturb ICC investigations into possible war crimes for years.

The request to the Dutch OM was initiated by The Rights Forum and is supported by the European Legal Support Centre, Een Ander Joods Geluid, Doctors for Gaza, and the Palestinian human rights groups Al Mezan and Al-Haq.

The Rights Forum has sent a letter to the OM and started a petition, which will run till the end of January. A group of 20 Palestinians already filed a complaint in the Netherlands alleging possible interference by Israeli security services in the ICC investigation in October.

Recently, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for Israel's conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government responded by saying that they wished to appeal this. The ICC also wants to arrest Hamas leader Mohammed Deif for the crimes that Hamas committed on October 7, 2023, and the hostage situations that were connected to this. It is unclear whether Deif is still alive.