Gambiaj.com – (LONDON, United Kingdom) – Former International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has revealed how Israeli intelligence operatives, including former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, allegedly pressured her to halt investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes in Palestine, while also detailing the personal and institutional impact of US sanctions imposed on her during her tenure at the ICC.
Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Bensouda said the pressure campaign intensified after the ICC opened examinations into the situation in Palestine and Afghanistan.
She described incidents of intimidation that she said targeted both her and her family, including a visit by two unidentified men to her home in The Hague.
“They came directly to my house,” Bensouda recalled. “They gave me an envelope of $500 and said it was from someone I had helped.”
She said she interpreted the episode not as an attempted bribe but as a warning intended to demonstrate that her movements and residence were known.
Bensouda said she immediately reported the matter to ICC security officials and Dutch authorities. According to her, the only trace investigators reportedly established was that the telephone numbers provided by the visitors originated from Israel.
“As far as I know, no investigations were conducted,” she said, adding that the experience left her feeling insecure.
Top Mossad Boss Intervened to End Investigations on Palestine
The former prosecutor also confirmed reports that she later held multiple meetings with Cohen, who she said made it clear Israel wanted the Palestine investigation stopped.
“He did not want the investigations into the situation in Palestine to go on,” she said. “That was the bottom line.”
Bensouda recounted one meeting that took place in a New York hotel during the UN General Assembly, where she had gone to meet former Congolese President Joseph Kabila. She said Cohen unexpectedly appeared during the encounter.
“What was clear was that they did not want the investigations into the situation in Palestine to go on,” she said, adding that the interactions evolved from friendly persuasion to what she perceived as direct threats.
“I also perceived it as a threat to me personally and to my family,” Bensouda said.
She revealed that some officials warned her that the matter had become dangerous and that she or members of her family could be harmed or killed if she persisted.
Despite the pressure, Bensouda said abandoning the investigation was never an option.
“I had taken an oath that I would do my work without fear or favor,” she said.
The Trump Administration’s Sanctions
Bensouda also detailed the consequences of sanctions imposed on her by the administration of Donald Trump in 2020 after the ICC moved forward with investigations involving US forces in Afghanistan and alleged Israeli crimes in Palestine.
She said the sanctions went far beyond travel restrictions and severely disrupted her personal and financial life.
“My bank account was blocked,” she explained, referring to an account she held with the United Nations Federal Credit Union. “Simple transactions like booking a hotel and transferring money; you cannot do that.”
Bensouda said banks closed accounts linked to her, including one associated with her mortgage, forcing her to rely on assistance from Dutch banking institutions to carry out basic transactions.
She also disclosed that the sanctions affected members of her family, including her son in The Gambia, whose bank account was reportedly blocked.
“There was a lot of effort investigating my husband,” she said, alleging that photographs and audio recordings were made in attempts to uncover compromising information.
The former prosecutor said the sanctions and intimidation campaigns had tangible effects on the functioning of the ICC itself, forcing officials to adopt undisclosed measures to ensure investigations continued.
“There are so many things the office is still doing that I am not able to talk about,” she said.
Dysfunctions Out of State Parties Lack of Anticipation
Bensouda criticized what she described as the failure of ICC state parties to adequately anticipate and respond to attacks against the court and its personnel.
“We cannot sit and wait for something to happen and then start scrambling to see what can be done,” she said.
According to her, the 125 state parties to the Rome Statute have a responsibility not only to defend the institution rhetorically but also to establish structures capable of immediately protecting ICC officials when political retaliation occurs.
“There was a lot of rhetoric and verbal support, but you could not find the state parties coming together and finding ways to ensure that I’m protected,” she said.
Bensouda also expressed disappointment with the response of the Dutch authorities, saying she felt “left alone” despite repeatedly reporting threats and intimidation.
“The protection the court needs starts with the host state,” she said, arguing that safeguarding the ICC should extend beyond protecting its headquarters building to protecting the people carrying out investigations.
The former prosecutor nevertheless insisted she remains hopeful about the future of international justice despite mounting geopolitical pressure against the ICC, including opposition from Israel and the United States.
“The ICC will survive,” she said. “There are people who need this justice. There are people who have lost complete hope in what is happening in their domestic jurisdictions and look up to the court as a beacon of hope.”
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