War Crimes Charges Still In Effect Against Top Israeli Officials

 

Jan, 06, 10 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Another group of Israeli officials cancelled visit to UK last week, fearing arrest on war crimes charges, reports said Tuesday. Four unidentified Israeli military officers from major to colonel avoided entering Britain because of fear of war crime prosecution.

 

International activists brought war crimes charges against Israelis involved in Dec. 2008 offensive on the people of Gaza Strip, killing over 1400 civilians and wounding thousands more. Israeli army was found to have used banned chemical bombs on the city’s residence contrary to international rules and regulations.

 

Britain’s legal system allows issuing arrest warrants for any foreign national accused of aggravated war crimes from anywhere in the world. Last month, former Israeli foreign minister Zipi Livni was nearly arrested at the London Airport, because she was directly involved in the offensive on Gaza. She was forced to change her travel itinerary but relations between UK and Israel seem to have been badly damaged.

 

On this, the Israeli deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, issued a statement saying, ‘the situation has become intolerable as it makes normal relations difficult to achieve.’

 

Last fall, Israeli defense minister however entered London arguing he had diplomatic immunity. The British government of Gordon Brown has promised to wave the law in this respect wherever it deems relations are being strained with closer allies, but perhaps not applicable to every country. In Britain, international groups condemned British government’s moves to reform the law.

 

‘We believe no attempt should be made (to change the law),’ said Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain. ‘There's no reason why Israel should be singled out for special treatment. If they're accused of war crimes, we have a duty - and legislation - to prosecute.’