It is therefore ironic that Karim Khan, the man who has succeeded in persuading the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, is himself facing allegations of sexual misconduct, including unwanted sexual touching, abuse, coercive behaviour, and abuse of authority. The irony has not been lost on Netanyahu, who was quick to suggest that it was a deliberate attempt by Khan to deflect attention from his own situation. The PM has also accused the court of having biased judges motivated by their antisemitic hatred of Israel.

The direct result of this outrageous attempt to destabilise the Israeli government will be to embolden and weaponise those who demonstrate against the Jewish state on the streets of Europe and beyond, and to prevent Netanyahu travelling to meet foreign leaders on the diplomatic missions which are so necessary during the present conflicts his country faces on so many fronts.

It will mean particularly that Netanyahu will not be able to risk flying to Washington for Donald Trump’s inauguration as president and for any talks with him. It is the American leader-elect who possibly holds many of the aces to bring about a resolution and, as Israel’s greatest ally, who is able to ensure that the IDF remains well armed and secure. He will now be forced to fly to Jerusalem, possibly within days of taking office.

The ICC’s action is both insidious and biased. Strange, too, that, other than issuing an arrest warrant also for Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, whom both Israel and the terror organisation have confirmed is dead, the court has made no reference to the atrocities of October 7 last year. Enough said.

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