Almog worried again

Former Israeli general Doron Almog is having another worry about being arrested in the UK in spite of the UK government jumping through hoops to protect Israeli war crimes suspects. The case of Doron Almog has a long and murky history so who better to report on this than the Jewish Chronicle?

Seven years after almost being arrested at Heathrow, former Israeli general Doron Almog has cancelled his participation in a London fundraiser, following concerns regarding Britain’s universal jurisdiction law.

Major General (res.) Doron Almog was commander of the IDF’s Southern Command from 2000 to 2003. In September 2005, he travelled to London for a fundraising event for Aleh, an Israeli charity that supports homes for severely disabled children and young people.

When he landed, he was warned by the Israeli embassy that an arrest warrant had been issued for him by a magistrates’ court, over the suspicion of alleged war crimes committed under his command in the Gaza Strip. He remained on the plane and returned to Israel.

Mr Almog was the first of a number of senior Israeli officers and officials, including former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, prevented from visiting Britain, due to the fears that pro-Palestinian activists would obtain arrest warrants against them.

Last September, after repeated promises by successive British governments, the universal jurisdiction law was changed, so that an arrest warrant could only be issued via the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

While Israel praised the change, subsequent analysis by its legal experts raised concerns that the DPP, a civil servant, could still issue an arrest warrant at the request of pro-Palestinian activists.

Aleh UK was due to hold a fundraising dinner on June 28, in London. Mr Almog, who has been one of Aleh’s most active spokespeople over many years and one of the founders of a rehabilitative village for severely disabled young adults in the south of Israel, was to be the guest of the honour at the event. The village was named Nahalat Eran, after Mr Almog’s son Eran, who died in 2007 at the age of 23.

Last month, following advice he received from the Israeli government, he decided to pull out and the event has been postponed.

This is good news for opponents of the State of Israel and the occupation but there is still an issue around the fact that the UK has been so willing to change its law, indeed to duck out of commitments to international law, for the sake of war criminals.

Protest against Tzipi Livni visit to the UK

5pm, Thursday, 6th October

Outside Downing Street, Whitehall, London, SW1 - nearest tube stations Westminster, Charing Cross.

Tzipi Livni, who faced an arrest warrant in the UK in 2009 over war crimes committed during the so called "Operation Cast Lead", feels she now can visit the UK because our Government – with the support of the Opposition party – has just changed the law on universal jurisdiction.

According to The Guardian:

The former Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, will meet the foreign secretary, William Hague, in Britain on Thursday in the first test of a new law governing arrest warrants for war crimes.

For a commentary on the change of UK law to appease Israeli war criminals see  Electronic Intifada.

Law change lets Livni visit UK

Here's YNET:

Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni announced that she will travel to London next week, her first trip to the United Kingdom since it issued a warrant for her arrest in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead.


British Foreign Secretary William Hague called Livni last week, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and invited her to visit the UK. On Sunday, she said that she has accepted the invitation.

Related stories:

• UK amends law that allows arrest of Israeli officials
• Peretz evades UK arrest warrant 
• Meridor cancels UK visit for fear of arrest 

The news came two weeks after British legislators amended the law that allowed arrest warrants to be issued against Israeli officials, making Livni's trip possible.

The article goes on to list out some of the Israeli war crimes suspects who have had to avoid or flee the UK for fear of arrest.

UK now safe haven for war criminals

According to the Jewish Chronicle, the UK has now changed its law so that Israeli war crimes suspects can come here without fear of arrest:

The British government has approved the change in this country's universal jurisdiction law.

Nearly two years after Israeli Opposition leaderTzipi Livni was forced to cancel a trip to the UKwhen pro-Palestinian activists applied for a warrant for her arrest, the change was given the Royal Assent and became law.

The law has a bizarre Orwellian name, The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act. And there's a circle to be squared:

Matthew Gould, the Britsh ambassador to Israel, said it was an important amendment that would "ensure that the UK's justice system can no longer be abused for political reasons".
He said: "The change will ensure that people cannot be detained when there is no realistic chance of prosecution, while ensuring that we continue to honour our international obligations.
"The UK remains committed to ensuring that those guilty of war crimes are brought to justice. This will put an end to requests for warrants where there is no realistic chance of prosecution."

Now the law has been changed so that someone like Tzipi Livni can come here freely but, at the same time,

The UK remains committed to ensuring that those guilty of war crimes are brought to justice

. Let's see how many of "those guilty of war crimes are brought to justice" in the UK now that Tzipi Livni can come here freely.