Key facts
- UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese linked the removal of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan to efforts to overturn the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Albanese stated that if the ICC is paralyzed, lawyers and judges worldwide must do more.
- An Israeli media report indicated that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar played a role in efforts to remove Khan.
- Khan's decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in May 2024 led to threats and sanctions against him and supporters of the court's work on Palestine.
- 82 of the ICC's 125 member states voted to dismiss Khan over misconduct claims.
- Albanese was previously sanctioned by the U.S. administration in July 2025.
The UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, stated that the removal of International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan is directly linked to the campaign to overturn the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Albanese suggested that Khan's dismissal, which occurred via a vote by 82 of the ICC's 125 member states, was a strategic move to neutralize the warrant sought against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant in May 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Albanese expressed on X that "coincidence is a luxury intl law can no longer afford" and that if the ICC is paralyzed, "lawyers and judges worldwide must do more." Her statement followed an Israeli media report indicating that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar actively participated in efforts to remove Khan, overseeing a task force and engaging in diplomatic efforts. This campaign of pressure and sanctions against Khan and those supporting the court's work on Palestine has been ongoing since the warrants were sought.
Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer, has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions and has previously accused a "pro-apartheid camp" of attempting to oust Khan. This is despite a panel of judicial experts clearing Khan of misconduct. The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties, an executive body of the ICC, voted to set aside the panel's findings and altered voting rules to facilitate Khan's dismissal. Albanese herself was sanctioned by the Donald Trump administration in July 2025, shortly after publishing a report on companies profiting from Israel's occupation. Khan was the first ICC official sanctioned under the same executive order in February 2025.