Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

Netherlands could sue 'Israel' over espionage, interference in ICC

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 8 Oct 2024 22:47
4 Min Read

The Netherlands might seek legal action against the Israeli occupation after it was found out it was spying on and interfering in the court's affairs.

Listen
  • x
  • View of the ICC, the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, September 16, 2024 (AP)
    View of the ICC, the International Criminal Court, in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, September 16, 2024 (AP)

Prosecutors in the Netherlands are reviewing a request to initiate a criminal case against senior Israeli intelligence officials, following allegations that they interfered with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The complaint, filed last week by a group of 20 individuals, most of whom are Palestinian, urges the Dutch prosecution service to investigate claims that the Israeli occupation sought to derail the ICC's inquiry. The legal submission cites a report by The Guardian, revealing that Israeli intelligence had attempted for nearly a decade to undermine, influence, and intimidate the ICC's chief prosecutor's office.

This investigation, carried out jointly by The Guardian, the Israeli +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language publication Local Call, led the Dutch government to raise concerns with the occupation's ambassador earlier this year. As the host state of the ICC, which is based in The Hague, the Netherlands is obligated to protect the court and its staff from interference, under an agreement with the ICC.

The criminal complaint, as seen by The Guardian, urged Dutch authorities to honor these obligations "as a matter of urgency." Lawyers for the complainants argued that "Israel's many attempts to influence, sabotage, and stop the investigation constitute a direct violation of their [clients'] right to justice." 

The submission further alleged that Israeli espionage targeting the ICC may have violated Dutch criminal law and potentially breached Article 70 of the Rome Statute, which governs offenses against the administration of justice. The lawyers called on Dutch prosecutors to specifically target senior Israeli security officials involved in these activities.

The ICC's investigation into Palestine began in 2015 when the court's former chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, opened a preliminary inquiry into the situation in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied al-Quds. This inquiry led the Israeli occupation to launch a covert campaign against the court, which now forms the basis of the complaint filed in the Netherlands. 

Dutch prosecutors have yet to announce whether they will formally open the case.

Related News

'Israel' in talks to displace Palestinians to South Sudan

Israeli maritime police deliberately kill Palestinians off Yafa coast

A spokesperson for the ICC prosecutor’s office said Karim Khan had made clear in May that attempts to "impede, intimidate or improperly influence" ICC officials may constitute article 70 offences. "The office remains deeply concerned by the ongoing attempts to improperly influence its activities through threats and intimidation of its officials," they added.

Probes into 'Israel' are dangerous

The prosecutor of the ICC has raised concerns about pressure from the US regarding the court's investigations into "Israel's" atrocities in Gaza. In an interview with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun in September, Khan revealed that ICC officials have been receiving personal "threats" from backers of "Israel".

“If we allow these types of attacks … threats … to dismantle or erode the legal institutions that have been built since the Second World War, does anybody believe it will end with the International Criminal Court?” warned Khan.

Highlighting Japan's role as the ICC's largest funder, Khan urged Japan to use its influence to sway the US regarding the court’s investigations.

Read next: ICC must be allowed to work ‘without intimidation’, say 93 members

“You cannot allow an attack on the court … then you have no rules-based system," Khan said, adding, “It’s better for the country and better for the world, almost invariably, to have the courage to stand on principle rather than standing on expediency."

“Our responsibility is to use our resources effectively to investigate incriminating and exonerating evidence equally until such time as we feel that the major criminal allegations have been thoroughly investigated,” Khan said.

In August, the ICC continued studying whether or not it has jurisdiction over matters concerning "Israel" and Palestine, as Israeli officials struggle to figure out the timeline or expected results of the discussions. 

The issue is of particular interest as Khan announced a request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant at an earlier time this year. Khan's decision was subjected to backlash and pressure from "Israel" and its allies, despite the request including three top Palestinian Resistance officials. 

  • Occupied Palestine
  • The Netherlands
  • The Hague
  • Palestine
  • International Criminal Court
  • ICC
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS