Guwahati, May 26, 2026 – Fatou Bensouda, the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has publicly confirmed that the then-head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Yossi Cohen, pressured her in a series of private meetings to abandon her office’s investigation into alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Bensouda detailed multiple encounters with Cohen during her tenure as ICC Chief Prosecutor (2012–2021). She described the initial meetings as appearing friendly, aimed at “winning her over,” but said they later escalated into explicit demands to halt the probe into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
According to Bensouda, Cohen warned that continuing the investigation could compromise her personal security or that of her family. She confirmed that he offered to “take care” of her and showed surveillance photographs of her husband. When asked directly about these pressure tactics, Bensouda replied, “He did. He did.”
Her account aligns with a major investigative report published by The Guardian in May 2024. The newspaper, citing multiple Israeli intelligence and ICC sources, revealed that Cohen held several secret meetings with Bensouda, including at the Munich Security Conference and in a New York hotel during the UN General Assembly. Sources described the contacts as persistent and increasingly threatening, with some likening them to “stalking.”
Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into the Situation in Palestine in 2015, which progressed to a full investigation in 2021. Israel, which is not a state party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, has consistently rejected the court’s jurisdiction over the matter. Israeli officials maintain that their military maintains a robust internal justice system capable of investigating any wrongdoing and have long accused the ICC of institutional bias against Israel.
The former prosecutor has said she felt isolated and unsupported, claiming that ICC member states and Dutch authorities provided little assistance despite her reporting the alleged pressure. She has characterized the tactics as “thug-style” methods intended to undermine international justice when it targets powerful states.
This episode forms part of a broader pattern of reported Israeli intelligence activities aimed at countering the ICC’s Palestine investigation. Previous reporting by The Guardian and Israeli outlet +972 Magazine documented surveillance operations by Mossad, Shin Bet, and other agencies targeting ICC officials, staff members, and Palestinian human rights organizations.
Important Context and Caveats
While Bensouda’s statements and the Guardian investigation rely on credible sourcing, much of the information comes from anonymous insiders. No public recordings or hard documentary evidence of the specific meetings have been released. Intelligence agencies globally have historically engaged in lobbying, monitoring, and diplomatic pressure regarding international courts, though the personal nature of the alleged encounters in this case stands out.
The ICC’s investigations remain highly contentious. Supporters view them as essential accountability mechanisms, while critics argue the court overreaches its mandate and applies selective justice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has previously dismissed similar allegations as “unfounded.”
The revelations underscore ongoing tensions between national sovereignty, intelligence operations, and the role of international judicial bodies in conflict zones. As the current ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, continues the Palestine investigation, these claims highlight the complex challenges faced by international institutions when pursuing cases involving powerful states.
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