In May 2024, when Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, his critics accused him of taking action to deflect attention away from allegations of sexual harassment.

But what is alleged to have really happened is far more sinister.

Shurat Hadin, an Israeli organization that fights antisemitism via legal means, has filed complaints with the ICC and the Israeli attorney general alleging that Qatar and private British intelligence agencies teamed up to peddle an influence campaign targeting the ICC prosecutor that resulted in the issuance of the arrest warrants, with the ultimate goal of assisting Hamas’ aims.

“We just filed criminal complaints with the International Criminal Court in The Hague and Israel’s Attorney General against Qatar and British intelligence firms,” the group posted on X.

For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Qatari officials promised to take care of Khan — whatever that means — if he issued the arrest warrants, which he did following that assurance.

Essentially, these officials and intelligence operatives bribed Karim to issue the warrants.

Shurat HaDin pointed to Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, as its prime suspect, alleging he violated Article 70(1)(d) of the Rome Statute, which prohibits impeding, intimidating, or corruptly influencing an official of the ICC. The group urgently called not only for an immediate investigation into the criminal conduct of the Qatari officials and British firms involved, but also for reconsidering the warrants on that basis.

Arguing that the conduct of these individuals and groups also violates Israeli law, Shurat HaDin also wrote a letter to the Israeli attorney general urging a domestic investigation into all the parties involved. Israeli law prohibits aiding and abetting a terror group, in this case, Hamas — and Israel can charge these people because their actions directly target Israel, Shurat HaDin said.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder and president of Shurat HaDin, explained the rationale behind Shurat HaDin’s campaign.

“Truth always finds a way to surface,” she said in a statement. “The ICC is not just overpoliticized, but also corrupt. It too has fallen victim to the dangerous quiet hostile takeover by the Qatari octopus, which money is oiling officials and institutions across the world.”

“These ICC arrest warrants are nothing but a blood libel, brought by an alleged rapist and a terror-harboring state, and they have fueled the delegitimization efforts against Israel and boosted antisemitism worldwide. International Justice has also been raped,” she added.

Shurat HaDin’s lawsuit exposes the corruption at the heart of the disgraceful actions of Khan, Qatar, and the British intelligence firms, who colluded to harm the State of Israel to serve the interests of Hamas.