Nine Years a Spy: The Epic Saga of Israel vs. the ICC

The ‎nine-year‏ ‎campaign by ‎Israel ‎against ‎the ‎International‏ ‎Criminal ‎Court‏ ‎(ICC)‏ ‎involved ‎a ‎series‏ ‎of ‎covert‏ ‎operations ‎and ‎diplomatic ‎maneuvers‏ ‎aimed‏ ‎at ‎obstructing‏ ‎the ‎court’s‏ ‎investigations ‎into ‎alleged ‎war ‎crimes‏ ‎committed‏ ‎by ‎Israeli‏ ‎leaders.

Timeline ‎and‏ ‎Initiation

📌Start ‎of ‎the ‎Campaign: ‎The‏ ‎campaign‏ ‎began‏ ‎in ‎2015,‏ ‎shortly ‎after‏ ‎Palestine ‎was‏ ‎recognized‏ ‎as ‎a‏ ‎state ‎by ‎the ‎UN ‎General‏ ‎Assembly ‎and‏ ‎joined‏ ‎the ‎ICC. ‎This‏ ‎move ‎was‏ ‎seen ‎by ‎Israeli ‎officials‏ ‎as‏ ‎a ‎significant‏ ‎threat, ‎prompting‏ ‎a ‎coordinated ‎response ‎to ‎protect‏ ‎Israeli‏ ‎leaders ‎from‏ ‎potential ‎prosecutions.

Key‏ ‎Players ‎and ‎Agencies

📌Involved ‎Agencies: The ‎campaign‏ ‎involved‏ ‎multiple‏ ‎Israeli ‎intelligence‏ ‎agencies, ‎including‏ ‎Mossad, ‎Shin‏ ‎Bet‏ ‎(domestic ‎security‏ ‎service), ‎the ‎IDF’s ‎Military ‎Intelligence‏ ‎Directorate, ‎and‏ ‎Unit‏ ‎8200 ‎(cyber-intelligence ‎division).

📌Leadership: The‏ ‎operations ‎were‏ ‎reportedly ‎led ‎by ‎high-ranking‏ ‎officials,‏ ‎including ‎then-Mossad‏ ‎chief ‎Yossi‏ ‎Cohen, ‎who ‎played ‎a ‎central‏ ‎role‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎intimidation ‎and‏ ‎espionage ‎efforts ‎against ‎ICC ‎officials.

Tactics‏ ‎and‏ ‎Methods

📌Espionage‏ ‎and ‎Surveillance: Israeli‏ ‎intelligence ‎agencies‏ ‎conducted ‎extensive‏ ‎surveillance‏ ‎on ‎ICC‏ ‎officials, ‎intercepting ‎their ‎communications, ‎including‏ ‎phone ‎calls,‏ ‎emails,‏ ‎and ‎messages. ‎This‏ ‎provided ‎Israel‏ ‎with ‎advance ‎knowledge ‎of‏ ‎the‏ ‎ICC’s ‎plans‏ ‎and ‎allowed‏ ‎them ‎to ‎strategize ‎accordingly.

📌Intimidation ‎and‏ ‎Threats: Cohen‏ ‎and ‎other‏ ‎officials ‎allegedly‏ ‎used ‎threats ‎and ‎intimidation ‎tactics‏ ‎against‏ ‎ICC‏ ‎prosecutors, ‎particularly‏ ‎Fatou ‎Bensouda.‏ ‎These ‎included‏ ‎veiled‏ ‎threats ‎to‏ ‎her ‎and ‎her ‎family’s ‎safety,‏ ‎as ‎well‏ ‎as‏ ‎attempts ‎to ‎discredit‏ ‎her ‎using‏ ‎compromising ‎information.

📌Diplomatic ‎Pressure: Israel ‎also‏ ‎exerted‏ ‎significant ‎diplomatic‏ ‎pressure ‎on‏ ‎other ‎countries ‎and ‎international ‎organizations‏ ‎to‏ ‎isolate ‎the‏ ‎ICC ‎and‏ ‎discourage ‎it ‎from ‎pursuing ‎investigations‏ ‎against‏ ‎Israeli‏ ‎leaders.

Specific ‎Incidents

📌Threats‏ ‎to ‎Bensouda: Cohen‏ ‎reportedly ‎threatened‏ ‎Bensouda‏ ‎in ‎a‏ ‎series ‎of ‎clandestine ‎meetings, ‎suggesting‏ ‎that ‎her‏ ‎security‏ ‎and ‎that ‎of‏ ‎her ‎family‏ ‎could ‎be ‎compromised ‎if‏ ‎she‏ ‎continued ‎with‏ ‎the ‎investigation.‏ ‎These ‎threats ‎were ‎part ‎of‏ ‎a‏ ‎broader ‎effort‏ ‎to ‎intimidate‏ ‎her ‎into ‎abandoning ‎the ‎probe.

📌Intercepted‏ ‎Communications: Israeli‏ ‎intelligence‏ ‎intercepted ‎communications‏ ‎between ‎ICC‏ ‎officials ‎and‏ ‎Palestinian‏ ‎contacts, ‎gaining‏ ‎insights ‎into ‎the ‎court’s ‎investigative‏ ‎steps ‎and‏ ‎using‏ ‎this ‎information ‎to‏ ‎preemptively ‎counteract‏ ‎the ‎ICC’s ‎actions.

Impact ‎and‏ ‎Response

📌Effectiveness:‏ ‎Despite ‎these‏ ‎efforts, ‎the‏ ‎campaign ‎ultimately ‎failed ‎to ‎prevent‏ ‎the‏ ‎ICC ‎from‏ ‎pursuing ‎its‏ ‎investigations. ‎In ‎March ‎2021, ‎Bensouda‏ ‎announced‏ ‎the‏ ‎opening ‎of‏ ‎a ‎formal‏ ‎investigation ‎into‏ ‎alleged‏ ‎war ‎crimes‏ ‎in ‎the ‎Palestinian ‎territories.

📌Continued ‎Efforts: The‏ ‎campaign ‎continued‏ ‎under‏ ‎Bensouda’s ‎successor, ‎Karim‏ ‎Khan, ‎who‏ ‎has ‎also ‎faced ‎similar‏ ‎pressures‏ ‎and ‎threats.‏ ‎Khan ‎recently‏ ‎sought ‎arrest ‎warrants ‎for ‎Israeli‏ ‎leaders,‏ ‎including ‎Prime‏ ‎Minister ‎Benjamin‏ ‎Netanyahu, ‎marking ‎a ‎significant ‎escalation‏ ‎in‏ ‎the‏ ‎ICC’s ‎efforts.

International‏ ‎Reaction

📌Condemnation ‎and‏ ‎Support: The ‎international‏ ‎community,‏ ‎including ‎human‏ ‎rights ‎organizations, ‎has ‎condemned ‎Israel’s‏ ‎actions ‎against‏ ‎the‏ ‎ICC. ‎The ‎ICC‏ ‎has ‎implemented‏ ‎countermeasures ‎to ‎protect ‎its‏ ‎staff‏ ‎and ‎ensure‏ ‎the ‎integrity‏ ‎of ‎its ‎investigations.