On November 21, 2024, the arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).Image: www.imago-images.de
After the suspension of the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Israel’s UN ambassador is calling for the arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be lifted.
Jun 9, 2026, 9:49 a.mJun 9, 2026, 9:49 a.m
The suspension of Karim Khan proves “that this institution is corrupt to the core,” wrote UN Ambassador Danny Danon on X. “Now it is time to lift the outrageous arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu!”
Khan’s suspension came amid allegations of sexual assault against a close colleague. The chief prosecutor has temporarily suspended his office for a good year and wanted to return when the allegations have been clarified. He denies all allegations.
Arrest warrant against Netanyahu
Khan had been chief prosecutor since 2021 and, among other things, had issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.
Because of its harsh crackdown in the two-year Gaza war, in which tens of thousands of people were killed, Israel has repeatedly been accused of war crimes and, in some cases, genocide. The Israeli government strictly rejects this accusation. She describes the war as part of a broader conflict with Iran and its regional allies that sought to destroy the Jewish state.
Especially because of the arrest warrant against Netanyahu, the USA increased its pressure on the court and imposed sanctions on employees and judges.
Sharp criticism from pro-Israel circles
Pro-Israel lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky wrote in an 125 states have signed the basic treaty of the criminal court, including all EU states. The USA, Russia and Israel are not members of the court. (sda/dpa)