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A joint investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian has uncovered Israel’s covert surveillance operation targeting senior International Criminal Court officials and Palestinian human rights workers to obstruct the ICC’s probe into alleged war crimes. The operation, ongoing since 2015, involved monitoring the court’s chief prosecutors, Palestinian submissions, and employees of key human rights organizations. Israeli intelligence aimed to influence the ICC’s decisions and undermine its authority through various means.
The surveillance information was used to sway ICC officials, including former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and to retroactively open investigations to counter ICC inquiries. Mossad ran a parallel operation targeting Bensouda. The Israeli government, at the highest levels, coordinated efforts to impede the ICC investigation using complex legal and intelligence strategies.
The elaborate surveillance campaign extended to monitoring Palestinian human rights groups submitting reports to the ICC, drawing condemnation as these organizations were labeled “terrorist organizations” by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. The Israeli state’s endeavors to manipulate legal proceedings, delegitimize NGOs, and influence international opinion through covert surveillance tactics raise serious ethical and legal concerns.
The revelations shed light on Israel’s systematic efforts to obstruct justice and subvert international accountability mechanisms. The story exposes a deep-seated resistance to transparency, justice, and humanitarian standards in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The implications of this clandestine operation on international law, human rights, and diplomatic relations are significant and warrant careful scrutiny and condemnation.