This announcement came in a memorandum submitted by “Khan” to the court to defend his decision to prosecute “Netanyahu,” according to the British newspaper “The Guardian.”
“Khan” did not mention the name of the person who made the threat, and only indicated that the call, which took place on April 23, 2024, was with a British official, while media reports indicated that the caller may have been the British Foreign Secretary at the time, “David Cameron.”
“Khan” explained that the British official believed that issuing arrest warrants for “Netanyahu” and former Israeli Defense Minister “Yoav Gallant” was a disproportionate measure.
He also mentioned that in April 2024, he received a warning from an American official that issuing arrest warrants would have “catastrophic consequences.” Despite calls for postponement, “Khan” insisted during the call that there was no indication that the Israeli government was ready to cooperate with the court or change its behavior.
He added that during another call on May 1, US Senator “Lindsey Graham” warned him that seeking arrest warrants effectively meant that Hamas might proceed to kill Israeli hostages.
“Khan” indicated that he first learned of allegations of sexual misconduct against him on May 2, and said that on May 6, a third party revealed that someone, without the alleged victim’s consent, had filed a complaint about his behavior with the court’s internal oversight body.
He added that when the victim made it clear that she did not want to pursue the investigation, the file was closed, until an anonymous account on the “X” platform revived these allegations in October.
“Khan’s” memorandum aims to show that he acted with complete impartiality throughout this period, and did not seek to achieve any personal interests, stressing that the plan to issue arrest warrants preceded the emergence of the accusations against him.
“Khan” affirmed that relying on speculation derived from selected media reports to support unsubstantiated claims justifying his recusal is wrong, stressing that his preparations for the case were accurate and detailed.
It is understood from the memorandum that “Khan” insisted on submitting a full and strong 22-page response to the Israeli request to drop the arrest warrants, after reviewing an initial draft that he considered “relatively calm.”
He also explained that he formed a committee of international law experts to assess whether the ICC had jurisdiction, and whether cases should be brought against “Netanyahu,” “Gallant,” and three officials from Hamas.
