In a private interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, Khan explained that after he requested in May 2024 that an arrest warrant be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, allegations of harassment surfaced against him, prompting him to take a voluntary leave of absence.
Khan noted that US Senator Lindsey Graham told him that "the International Criminal Court was created to deal with Africa and thugs like Russian President Vladimir Putin, not with democratic countries like Israel and America."
When asked about reports that former British Foreign Secretary David Cameron threatened him in a phone call in April 2024 that the UK would withdraw from the International Criminal Court and stop funding it if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials, Khan said: "Yes, the reports are true. I'm not sure if it was the British government that made the threat, but rather a high-ranking government official."
When asked whether or not Cameron was responsible, Khan confirmed that it was Cameron, noting that Britain’s position on the court had improved with the change of government.
Regarding the charges against him, Khan explained that an independent judicial panel of three judges concluded in March 2026 that there was no evidence of abuse of power or professional misconduct.
He noted that an independent panel of three judges appointed by the criminal court to investigate allegations of harassment and dereliction of duty concluded in March 2026 that: "No evidence of mistreatment or dereliction of duty was found."
He said: "When I saw the report, which showed no evidence of abuse of office or misuse of power, and when I read the unanimous decision from these senior judges, I thought it was over."
Khan stated that although the judges concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the harassment allegations and claims of dereliction of duty, a group of countries within the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court may raise the issue on the Assembly’s agenda, which could lead to his removal from office through a vote involving the 125 member states of the Court, as part of the ongoing disciplinary investigation against him.
It should be noted that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during a genocidal war that began on October 8, 2023.
