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Scandal Leaves International Criminal Court Grasping for Legitimacy amid Probe of Israel
(Fox News) Anne Bayefsky - The top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, faces serious allegations of criminal misconduct, including claims of repeated sexual assault. Khan has been on paid leave since May. Khan's reported suggestion that his accuser - who is also Muslim - was influenced by Israeli intelligence has drawn skepticism. On May 2, 2024, Khan learned that word of the allegations had circulated within the ICC as he and his staff were preparing for a trip to Israel, following an extraordinary offer of cooperation from Jerusalem. Instead, on May 20, Khan abruptly canceled the trip and very publicly announced on CNN that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Americans, Israelis and even ICC staff speculated about the timing, arguing that Khan hoped that framing Israel would lead to circling the wagons around him. He has been using Israel as a foil to defend himself against personal allegations. The writer is director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, and president of Human Rights Voices.