close
close
hsuses

Yossi Cohen “threatens” ICC prosecutor not to investigate Israel – Israel News

Theo

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen reportedly pressured former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to stop the investigation into Israeli war crimes. The guard was reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, Cohen and Bensouda met secretly in the years leading up to their decision to launch an official investigation in 2021 into suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian territories.

The guard noted that Cohen’s involvement against the ICC occurred during his tenure as head of the Mossad. The report quoted an Israeli source as saying that the Mossad had attempted to “compromise the prosecutor or recruit her as someone who would cooperate with Israel’s demands.”

Another source said The guard that Cohen served as an “unofficial ambassador” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Cohen made veiled threats against the ICC prosecutor

The guard Cohen was quoted as saying, “You should help us and let us handle what is important to you. You don’t want to get involved in things that could endanger your safety or that of your family.”

Yossi Cohen and Benjamin Netanyahu (Source: MIRIAM ASTER/FLASH90)

Further reports of intimidation were revealed by The guardwhich added that during Cohen’s tenure, the Mossad took an interest in the prosecutor’s family and even obtained transcripts of conversations between Bensouda and her husband in order to use those conversations to discredit her.

A person quoted by The guardstated that Cohen had used “despicable tactics” against the former prosecutor and even compared his behavior to “stalking.”

In addition, Israel’s attempts to persuade Bensouda were reportedly assisted by Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His role in supporting the plot is unknown.

The investigation came to light after Karim Khan, Bensouda’s successor, announced his intention to seek arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, contacted by The guardsaid: “The questions forwarded to us are full of many false and unfounded accusations aimed at harming the State of Israel.”

Yossi Cohen, the former head of the Mossad, was also a former close confidant of Netanyahu. He joined the Mossad in the early 1980s and was appointed head of the Mossad by Netanyahu in 2015. He retired from Israeli intelligence in 2021.



Related Posts