The Guardian: Mossad Spy Chief 'Threatened' ICC Prosecutor Investigating Israel's War Crimes

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
May. 28, 2024

Former Mossad head Yossi Cohen reportedly threatened the ICC's chief prosecutor for investigating Israel's war crimes by telling her, "You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family."

Absolutely incredible article, revealing that the head of Mossad personally threatened the physical safety of the ICC prosecutor and her family: "You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family."https://t.co/xustHwsQdh
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) May 28, 2024

From The Guardian, "Revealed: Israeli spy chief 'threatened' ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry":

The former head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, allegedly threatened a chief prosecutor of the international criminal court in a series of secret meetings in which he tried to pressure her into abandoning a war crimes investigation, the Guardian can reveal.

Yossi Cohen's covert contacts with the ICC's then prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, took place in the years leading up to her decision to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestinian territories.

That investigation, launched in 2021, culminated last week when Bensouda's successor, Karim Khan, announced that he was seeking an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, over the country's conduct in its war in Gaza.

The prosecutor's decision to apply to the ICC's pre-trial chamber for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, alongside three Hamas leaders, is an outcome Israel's military and political establishment has long feared.

Cohen's personal involvement in the operation against the ICC took place when he was the director of the Mossad. His activities were authorised at a high level and justified on the basis the court posed a threat of prosecutions against military personnel, according to a senior Israeli official.

Another Israeli source briefed on the operation against Bensouda said the Mossad's objective was to compromise the prosecutor or enlist her as someone who would cooperate with Israel's demands.

A third source familiar with the operation said Cohen was acting as Netanyahu's "unofficial messenger".

Cohen, who was one of Netanyahu's closest allies at the time and is emerging as a political force in his own right in Israel, personally led the Mossad's involvement in an almost decade-long campaign by the country to undermine the court.

Four sources confirmed that Bensouda had briefed a small group of senior ICC officials about Cohen's attempts to sway her, amid concerns about the increasingly persistent and threatening nature of his behaviour.

Three of those sources were familiar with Bensouda's formal disclosures to the ICC about the matter. They said she revealed Cohen had put pressure on her on several occasions not to proceed with a criminal investigation in the ICC's Palestine case.

According to accounts shared with ICC officials, he is alleged to have told her: "You should help us and let us take care of you. You don't want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family."

One individual briefed on Cohen's activities said he had used "despicable tactics" against Bensouda as part of an ultimately unsuccessful effort to intimidate and influence her. They likened his behaviour to "stalking".

The Mossad also took a keen interest in Bensouda's family members and obtained transcripts of secret recordings of her husband, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Israeli officials then attempted to use the material to discredit the prosecutor.

Last month, a group of AIPAC-funded Republican US Senators sent a threatening letter to current ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan telling him, "Target Israel and we will target you."

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland denounced the letter in a statement to the media saying: "It is fine to express opposition to a possible judicial action, but it is absolutely wrong to interfere in a judicial matter by threatening judicial officers, their family members and their employees with retribution. This thuggery is something befitting the mafia, not U.S. senators."

It appears they were just following in the footsteps -- or perhaps taking the direct orders -- of the Mossad.

As a reminder, a team of "former" Mossad agents also reportedly worked with Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to spy on and intimidate his accusers into silence.

Ex-NBC producer Rich McHugh, who worked together with Ronan Farrow to expose Weinstein, claimed Black Cube and agents of another intelligence firm hacked his phone, broke into his home and messed with his phone wires.

Fascinating Interview with Ronan Farrow's Producer Rich McHugh

Tucker Carlson: "Someone broke into your house & tampered with the phone lines & the suggestion is that it was private investigators, former Mossad hired by Harvey Weinstein. Did you ever get to the bottom of it?" pic.twitter.com/Me2kx7eNqQ
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) October 23, 2019

Roman Khaykin, who was hired as a subcontractor by Black Cube to shut down Ronan Farrow's investigation allegedly through hacking Farrow's phones and stalking his home, reportedly told his partner -- fellow private investigator Igor Ostrovskiy -- the reason he worked for Black Cube was because: "To me, this is like doing a mitzvah. I'm doing something good for Israel."

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