Member nations of the International Criminal Court voted Friday to remove Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from office, ending his tenure amid a widening misconduct scandal. The decision was welcomed by Israeli leaders, who have long accused Khan of pursuing a politically motivated campaign against Israel after he sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

According to Reuters, citing two diplomatic sources familiar with the vote, 82 of the ICC’s 125 member states supported Khan’s removal. The sources requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the proceedings.

Khan, a 56-year-old British lawyer, has been accused of misconduct involving a staff member. He has repeatedly denied all of the allegations.

The controversy surrounding Khan has hung over the Hague-based court for more than two years, contributing to growing turmoil within the tribunal during a period of mounting international criticism. Earlier this month, the United States intensified that pressure by launching an initiative aimed at dismantling the 24-year-old court.

In June, Khan was suspended from his duties after the executive committee overseeing the ICC concluded that he had committed a “serious breach of duty and serious misconduct”.

He also entered Friday’s vote while suspended from practicing law in the United Kingdom, where the British Bar Standards Board is conducting its own investigation into the allegations.

Khan drew international condemnation in 2024 after leading the effort to obtain ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant on allegations of crimes against humanity. The move sparked fierce opposition from Israel and its allies and led the Trump administration to impose multiple rounds of financial and travel sanctions against Khan and other ICC officials.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, hailed Friday’s vote as a long-overdue rebuke of Khan’s conduct.

“Today at UN Headquarters, ICC member states voted to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan. Khan thought his political witch hunt against Israel and outrageous arrest warrants would distract from serious … misconduct allegations. He was wrong.”

Danon also took aim at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has repeatedly targeted Israel and called for Netanyahu’s arrest.

“Mayor Mamdani, take note: using Israel as a political weapon will not shield you from accountability.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar likewise praised Khan’s removal, arguing that it exposed the motivations behind the prosecutor’s actions against Israel.

“The long-delayed removal of Karim Khan from the ICC for serious misconduct has exposed the moral bankruptcy of a corrupt Prosecutor who rushed to file scandalous arrest warrants against Israel’s PM and former DM, in an attempt to deflect from the serious misconduct he feared would be revealed.”

Sa’ar further asserted that the warrants never should have been pursued and called for them to be withdrawn without delay.

“These were politicized and outrageous arrest warrants against elected leaders of a democracy with an independent legal system defending its citizens against terror. These warrants, issued against a country that is not even a member of the ICC, should never have been sought in the first place and should be revoked immediately.”

{Matzav.com}