Activists hold up a banner denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as they demonstrate at the entrance of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023 (AP)

"Israel's" increasing international isolation, stemming from outrage over the extensive unlawful killings of over 36,171 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, is set to escalate further, according to a new opinion piece by Simon Tisdall, the Observer’s foreign affairs commentator, published by The Guardian on Wednesday.

This follows fresh, comprehensive, and credible accusations implicating senior politicians and intelligence agencies in a conspiracy, aided by the Trump administration, to surveil, undermine, and intimidate the operations and personnel of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The individuals purportedly singled out include the former chief prosecutor of the court, Fatou Bensouda, as well as the current one, Karim Khan, who may still be under surveillance.

In Tisdall's view, if such actions are indeed taking place, they must be halted without delay.

he further gushes: "Once again, the world is confronted by dismaying evidence that the state of Israel under the destructive leadership of its rightwing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has gone rogue."

"Once again, Netanyahu has crossed a line. Once again, his contempt for global opinion, for the values of the Western democracies which too unquestioningly sustain and arm his country, and for the most basic principles of international law is on galling display. For all those who have previously supported Israel....... this is, once again, a deep disappointment," he stressed.

Dive deeper

The accusations stem from a collaborative investigation released this week by The Guardian, Israeli publication +972 Magazine, and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. They have been formally refuted by the prime minister's office as "false and unfounded," alleging they aim to discredit "Israel". However, none of the precise allegations have been addressed to date. This warrants immediate attention.

Netanyahu's coalition has faced significant international condemnation from various quarters, including the UN Security Council, General Assembly, EU, Arab states, and humanitarian organizations. Despite calls for a ceasefire, Netanyahu and his ultra-nationalist allies remain steadfast in their proclaimed goal "to eradicate Hamas", rejecting appeals for peace. Consequently, Ireland, Spain, and Norway have recently joined other nations in officially recognizing Palestinian statehood, marking a diplomatic shift against "Israel's" actions.

The pressure on "Israel" has intensified with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering a halt to its attacks on Rafah, demanding unrestricted aid supplies, and calling for Gaza to be opened to UN-led investigations.

However, the most significant recent development is the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision, led by Karim Khan, to pursue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant on charges related to Gaza's war crimes and crimes against humanity, as per the piece.

This outcome, which Israeli officials aimed to prevent, likely motivated their efforts to undermine the ICC, it added.

Netanyahu, who has been prime minister for most of the period under scrutiny, has vehemently condemned the move as "antisemitic" and called on all so-called "civilized" nations to reject it. Additionally, veiled threats have been directed towards Khan.

"This latest crisis in Israel’s relationship with international justice – always fraught, given its long-established practice of ignoring UN Security Council resolutions relating to the post-1967 occupation – has been brewing since 2015," Tisdall stressed. That occurred when Fatou Bensouda, the predecessor of Khan at the ICC, opted to investigate potential crimes in the Palestinian territories involving Israeli occupying forces and Palestinian factions.

Unveiling "Israel's" shadowy tactics: Intelligence agencies crossed the Line

The Guardian's inquiry poses a fundamental question: Did Mossad, Shin Bet, and units of the Israeli military employ inappropriate, illegal, and possibly criminal methods in their quest for information? The piece questioned.

If the covert monitoring and recording of Bensouda's and other ICC officials' phone and email communications, purported efforts to undermine her credibility and defame her family, and the alleged intimidating actions by a high-ranking individual in Israeli intelligence are deemed unlawful - a conclusion many might find reasonable according to the piece - then Netanyahu and his allies must address some extremely grave allegations.

"The world will know the truth" about Gaza

According to the piece, Trump, like Netanyahu, is an incumbent official confronting criminal accusations. The investigation revealed a meeting between Israeli and Trump administration officials in Washington in 2020, where they purportedly deliberated on methods to obstruct ICC investigations into potential criminal acts in Palestine and by US troops in Afghanistan.

An evident consequence was Trump's imposition of unilateral sanctions on ICC officials, notably Bensouda, a move later reversed by his successor, President Biden. Trump resumed his criticism after Khan's call for the arrest of Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leaders, and some Republican senators threatened Khan with personal repercussions if he proceeded with the case.

"By attacking the ICC, Netanyahu, nothing if not predictable, has again confused his interests with Israel’s by claiming the court poses a danger to the entire country," Tisdall contended.

Tisdall concluded by saying "Trump-like, they will double down on lies. Yet the world will know the truth, just as it has slowly come to know the truth of Gaza. The truth is, Israel under Netanyahu’s leadership, at a moment of truly dreadful national trauma, has gone rogue...."