Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands was asked to “report” to the Dutch foreign affairs ministry to explain allegations of a secret surveillance and espionage campaign by Israeli spy services against the International Criminal Court, according to the Guardian.
Dutch officials asked to meet the ambassador, Modi Ephraim, to discuss concerns raised by a Guardian investigation that revealed Israeli intelligence agencies attempted over a nine-year period to undermine, influence and allegedly intimidate the ICC chief prosecutor’s office.
The meeting was disclosed by officials in response to questions raised in parliament by several Dutch MPs about the revelations, part of a joint investigation with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the minister of foreign affairs said the Israeli ambassador “was requested to report at the [ministry] in connection with allegations made in the articles in the Guardian and +972”. They said a conversation was held “in which the concerns of the Netherlands have been expressed”.
As the host state of the ICC, which is in The Hague, the Netherlands is obliged under an agreement with the court to protect the safety and security of ICC staff, and must ensure it is “free from interference of any kind”.
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