ICC prosecutor who sought arrest warrants for PM Netanyahu was promised protection by Qatar – report

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan is back in the spotlight after a report in The Wall Street Journal reported that the government of Qatar promised to “look after” him if he issued arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. 

A previous report by The Guardian in November 2025 said a Qatari intelligence operation involving two firms attempted to discredit the woman who accused Khan of sexual harassment, threatening to derail his arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and then–defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

In an October 2024 editorial, the WSJ noted that the timing of Khan’s pursuit of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant before completing his investigation raised significant questions. Those questions intensified when a whistleblower came forward to support the account of the woman who accused Khan of sexual misconduct, testifying that he pursued the warrants as a way to divert attention from his own troubles.

The WSJ report also said the whistleblower faced threats and intimidation from Khan, a claim later reinforced by a Guardian report detailing efforts to silence the woman who accused him.

According to the latest WSJ editorial, the new allegation is from a witness report issued by “a person familiar with” the Qatari operation to silence the alleged victim of sexual assault. The WSJ reported that a statement was submitted to the FBI requesting an inquiry, and that several members of Congress are familiar with it. 

Buying off the ICC Prosecutor.

Qatar launched an intelligence operation & promised to “look after” Karim Khan over targeting Israel. When the operation’s manager was asked if backing came from a sheikh or the state, he said: “the state.”

A crooked prosecutor. A corrupted court.…

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 28, 2026

In audio recordings submitted with the witness statement, private investigators refer to their “client country” without explicitly naming it, although one investigator refers to the client as “Q country,” supporting the allegation that Qatar is behind the operation. 

Investigators working for the firm Elicius Intelligence even discussed reports that Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency believes Qatar is behind the ICC investigation and is using Khan as an agent. 

“I spoke to the client about it,” the intelligence operations manager is heard saying in an Aug. 5 recording, “and they weren’t surprised that it had leaked that they were wrapping their arms around him.” 

In the recording, the operations manager says the client has promised to protect Khan. 

“It’s not that long that they wrapped their arms around him,” the manager continued, as per the recording. “It’s all in the context of issuing the warrant. That was basically the deal. He was like, ‘I want to issue the warrant, but I’m terrified to do it.’ And they said, ‘If you do it, then we’ll look after you.’” 

Asked by another investigator whether the offer of protection is from the state or from an individual sheikh, he responds, “No, it’s the state.” 

A lawyer for Khan denied the reports or that Khan had any involvement in the operation to intimidate the accuser, saying, “Our client was not offered or given (and would not have sought or accepted) any ‘promise’ by any state (whether Qatar or any other) to ‘look after’ him if he applied for the arrest warrants.” 

The lawyer also stated that Khan “never had any discussions with any Qatari official prior to the warrants being issued.” 

Despite the allegations against Khan – and attempts by the U.S. and Israel to have the charges dismissed – the ICC has maintained the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. 

The recordings also revealed that investigators discussed theories that the accuser had possible ties to Israel, or was being manipulated by someone with such connections – apparently unaware of the irony of those claims.

In one recording, the investigators note that the alleged victim “didn’t have a Jewish grandmother,” one of the possible connections the firm had investigated. 

Ultimately, the attempts to find an Israeli connection proved fruitless. Khan's accuser said if there was an attempt at manipulation, it was by Khan himself, who, according to previous reports, urged her not to speak about his conduct toward her, saying it could affect the investigations into the Israeli leaders. 

A UN inquiry into the accusations against Khan found a “factual basis” for the alleged victim’s accounts, noting that Khan “would not confirm, in an interview, whether he had had a sexual relationship” with the woman.