A bruising ICC scandal heads to a secret vote on removing chief prosecutor

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — As member nations of the International Criminal Court prepare to vote Friday on whether to permanently remove the global tribunal's embattled chief prosecutor, concerns are emerging about the damage the drawn-out scandal has already inflicted on the already beleaguered institution.

In a saga that has dragged on for more than two years, British barrister Karim Khan has been accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by The Associated Press in a series of stories, allegations which he has steadfastly denied.

The lengthy and complicated process has pitted human rights advocates, staff and member states against one another at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “ dismantle ” the ICC, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity's worst crimes.

The 56-year-old Khan was formally removed from his duties at the ICC in June after a report by the executive committee of the court’s oversight body found he had committed “serious misconduct.” According to documents seen by The Associated Press, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations. Khan disputes those findings.

“There has been splintering over how the court has handled this,” Lucy Gaynor, a historian of international criminal tribunals at the University of Amsterdam, told The Associated Press.

Groups that support the court’s work have taken diverging positions. Last week, a group of Palestinian organizations issued a public letter, accusing the executive committee of “unwarranted political interference” and said it lacks “the independence, impartiality or legal expertise to make assessments.”

In June, the International Federation for Human Rights, Redress and Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice with others said that the victim has been “publicly questioned, instrumentalized, and too readily dismissed as part of a political agenda.”

Staff members are also wary of the future. A group within the prosecutor’s office sent a letter to the oversight body expressing serious concerns about Khan’s potential return, writing that his “leadership has been materially diminished.”

Prominent international figures have also been voicing their views. In an opinion piece in Project Syndicate, former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the allegations are a plot against the court. “Khan’s enemies have managed to start a debate about his potential removal, with allegations of sexual misconduct serving as the tip of the spear,” the Spanish diplomat wrote.

Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, has taken an entirely different stance, writing on social media that Khan “clearly does not” have “the moral authority and credibility to continue serving as prosecutor.”

Khan himself has given a series of interviews denying the allegations and arguing they are part of a conspiracy against him for his investigation into Israeli officials. In an interview with CNN last week, the female staffer strenuously denied this. A United Nations investigation report seen by the AP said that “multiple credible witnesses dismissed the notion that she was a spy.”

Now his future lies in the hands of the 125 nations who make up the court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties. They are holding a special session in New York that will culminate in a vote where a majority would need to support a resolution to oust him.

The outcome of the vote, which is secret, is unclear. The court’s host state of the Netherlands will vote for his removal, as will France, the only two countries to have made their decision public.

In a letter to Parliament last week, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen indicated that there was sufficient support to remove Khan. “Although the balance of power within the ASP is still evolving, the position of most contracting parties also appears to be in line with the recommendation of the ASP Office,” he said.

Whatever its member states decide, the court is facing more turbulent times ahead. The Trump administration, which has already sanctioned key ICC staff including Khan, seeks to further destabilize the 24-year-old tribunal that it claims is a challenge to US sovereignty.

Regardless of the outcome, “the court is going to walk away bruised and battered and wounded and less able to face the greater threats ” Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, told the AP.

FILE - Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, looks up prior to a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands, July 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

FILE - The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seen on Dec. 9, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military shot and killed four Palestinians in the village of Tell in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Friday, raising tensions in the occupied territory after an Israeli settler was killed in a confrontation with local residents.

Two other Israelis and four more Palestinians were wounded, health officials said, and the Israeli military announced it was preparing for an “extensive” counterterror operation in the West Bank.

The exact circumstances of the incident remained unclear. But Israeli media reports and interviews with local Palestinian officials suggested a group of settlers entered Tell on Friday morning and were confronted by residents who were fearful of an attack.

According to the Israeli military, one of the residents took one of the settlers' weapons and fired on the group, killing Benayahu Mellet, 32, a security guard in a settlement nearby.

In a video of the incident, confirmed by the Israeli military and circulated online by the military correspondent for Israel's Army Radio, two armed men in civilian clothing, as well as at least one Israeli soldier, are shown pointing their weapons at a group of Palestinians who had gathered in a field.

At one point, the two armed men rush toward several Palestinian residents with their guns drawn. In the footage, the residents try to push them back and appear to disarm one of the men before opening fire.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it killed the man who took the settler's weapon and that he was armed when soldiers shot him. But a separate video, published by Israeli media outlets and confirmed by the military, showed Israeli forces firing on a group of Palestinians in the same field who were already on the ground.

More than a dozen gunshots can be heard in the footage, which is less than a minute long. The military said the suspect was one of the people killed in the field. It did not respond to questions about why soldiers killed the other men — all of whom were related — or how long after the original altercation the killings took place.

Later, army chief Eyal Zamir said he was sending more troops to the occupied West Bank, where soldiers have encircled Tell and the nearby city of Nablus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel would “act forcefully” following the incident.

People mourn as the bodies of four Palestinians who, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, were killed by Israeli forces near the village of Tell, arrive at Nablus Speciality Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

People mourn over the body of Jawad Ramadan, who, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, was killed by Israeli forces near the village of Tell, after his body was brought to Nablus Speciality Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)