Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the dismissal of International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan, calling him a “fraud” after he was removed over sexual misconduct allegations.“I welcome the decision to remove Karim Khan, which is supported by the majority of countries,” Netanyahu said in a statement.Speaking on Fox News, Netanyahu claimed that Khan filed charges against him to divert attention from his alleged crimes. “He thought, if there’s an indictment, I’ll get a job. There was an indictment, and he lost his job. He lost his job because most of the country had turned him down, knowing he was a fraud.”
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Khan demands arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Khan successfully pressured Netanyahu and Gallant in 2024 to charge him with alleged war crimes over the Gaza conflict. The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that they “deliberately and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of goods indispensable for their survival, including food, water and medicine.”The move, which angered Israel’s ally the United States, complicated Netanyahu’s visit to countries that are members of the Hague-based court.Khan was suspended by a major ICC governing body last month. In a vote at UN headquarters in New York on Friday, 82 out of 125 members voted by secret ballot to remove him for “gross misconduct and serious breach of duty”.Khan has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyer said he planned to challenge the decision “through all available legal mechanisms.”
Netanyahu also targeted Mamdani
Netanyahu also took aim at New York Mayor Zoharan Mamdani, who previously expressed a desire to arrest the Israeli prime minister if he visited the city but acknowledged this week that he had no such authority.Netanyahu claimed that Khan’s dismissal showed that Mamdani was basing his targeting on “bogus allegations”, while also accusing the mayor of “spreading hatred” against Jews.Netanyahu said he intended to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. “I intend to come from the UN platform and speak the truth, speak for Israel and for the Israel-US alliance.”