Gambian diplomat and former International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has alleged that Israel subjected her to intimidation and pressure during the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes in Palestine, including warnings that she and her family could face harm if the case proceeded.
Bensouda made the claims during an interview with Al Jazeera, where she detailed what she described as a sustained campaign aimed at forcing her office to abandon the politically sensitive investigation.
The former prosecutor said the pressure intensified after the ICC opened a preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine in 2015.
“They came directly to my house,” Bensouda recalled, referring to two men she claimed were linked to Israel and who visited her residence in The Hague shortly after the investigation began.
According to Bensouda, the men handed her an envelope containing $500, claiming the money came from an individual she had previously assisted. She said the incident left her deeply unsettled.
“I felt left alone. I felt unsupported,” she said while reflecting on the mounting pressure surrounding the case.
Bensouda, who served as ICC chief prosecutor from 2012 to 2021 and currently serves as The Gambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, further accused Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, of repeatedly attempting to pressure her into dropping the investigation.
“What was clear was that he didn’t want the investigation on Palestine to go on,” she said, referring to meetings involving senior intelligence officials.
The former prosecutor also alleged that the intimidation escalated into direct warnings concerning her personal safety and that of her family members.
“You really need to stop, this is going very far,” she recalled being told. “You could be harmed or you could be killed or family members could be harmed in some ways.”
The revelations have renewed global attention on a 2024 investigation published by The Guardian, which alleged that former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen personally led efforts to pressure and intimidate Bensouda over the ICC’s Palestine investigation.
According to The Guardian report, Cohen allegedly told Bensouda: “You should help us and let us take care of you.”
Bensouda has previously characterised the alleged campaign against her as involving “thug-style tactics,” insisting that threats and intimidation did not deter her office from carrying out its mandate.
The ICC investigation into Palestine has long been strongly opposed by Israel, which does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli authorities have previously denied allegations of spying and intimidation against the ICC, dismissing such claims as “false and unfounded.”
The allegations are likely to intensify international debate over the independence and security of international judicial institutions handling politically sensitive investigations.
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