Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan of using the court’s arrest warrant against him as a “political shield,” to deflect attention from allegations of misconduct against the prosecutor.

Netanyahu argued the case was intended to divert attention from allegations of misconduct against Khan. “It was precisely as these allegations emerged that he canceled his planned visit to Israel, abandoned his previous commitment to thoroughly examine Israel’s independent judicial system, and suddenly moved to pursue arrest warrants against me and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” Netanyahu wrote on X.