'You will not outrun justice': Mark Ruffalo blasts Netanyahu over ICC prosecutor Karim Khan's removal

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has blasted Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the Israeli prime minister of pushing to remove former International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan and declaring that he would "not outrun justice".

Ruffalo, an outspoken critic of Israel's genocide in Gaza since October 2023, made the remarks on X after Netanyahu welcomed Khan's removal from office over allegations of sexual misconduct, which the British lawyer has denied.

"Just because you lobbied to have the man who issued the war crimes [charges] taken down doesn't mean the war crimes disappear or your guilt is assuaged," Ruffalo wrote.

"You will not outrun justice. You will not lobby history. You are a murderous maniac Benjamin Netanyahu. You will always be remembered as such."

Netanyahu was among the first international leaders to celebrate Khan's removal, as Israel sought to cast the decision as a vindication of its longstanding campaign against the ICC after the court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly challenged the court's jurisdiction, lobbied against its Palestine investigation and welcomed Khan's dismissal, while the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Khan and several other ICC officials over the warrants.

Just because you lobbied to have the man who issued the war crimes taken down doesn’t mean the war crimes disappear or your guilt is assuaged. You will not outrun justice. You will not lobby history. You are a murderous maniac Benjamin Netanyahu. You will always be remembered as… https://t.co/R8nEWin8MX

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) July 26, 2026

Khan's removal comes after months of mounting political pressure on the court and has fuelled concerns among Palestinian officials, legal experts and UN figures that efforts to discredit the prosecutor have become intertwined with attempts to derail the Palestine investigation.

On Friday, 82 of the ICC's 125 member states voted to remove Khan following an oversight process into allegations of sexual misconduct.

The 56-year-old has denied wrongdoing, while his legal team says the dismissal was politically motivated, procedurally unfair and ignored the findings of an independent judicial panel, which concluded that UN investigators had not established misconduct or a breach of duty under the applicable legal framework.

Palestinian officials rejected attempts to portray Khan's dismissal as undermining the court's Palestine case.

"The vote by the Assembly of States Parties to remove the Prosecutor was not a political proxy vote on any Situation before the ICC," Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi said in a statement.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese likewise argued that the timing could not be viewed in isolation, writing that Khan's removal "lines up neatly with the fight to neutralise Netanyahu's arrest warrant" and that it demonstrated "justice DOES threaten Apartheid Israel & Co".

Israeli officials have continued pressing for the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant to be revoked, despite the ICC making clear that Khan's dismissal has no bearing on the legal status of the case.

The exchange with Ruffalo comes after the Avengers star repeatedly condemned Israel's military onslaught on Gaza and, earlier this year, criticised the subsequent US-Israeli war on Iran. In March, Ruffalo joined fellow actors and musicians in calling for an end to that war.

Netanyahu this week reiterated his criticism of the ICC during an interview with Fox News, again claiming the case against him was politically motivated.

He also criticised New York mayor Zohran Mamdani over his support for enforcing the ICC arrest warrant if the Israeli premier visited the city.

Since Khan stepped aside in May, the ICC prosecutor's office has been headed by his two deputy prosecutors. The office said it would continue providing "leadership, management and administration" until a successor is elected.

Khan's removal does not affect the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, which remain in force and can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.