Het is dus blijkbaar nog niet opgelost, ondanks eerdere toezeggingen van de Britten. Het is een absurde en ongehoorde situatie, en misschien moet de wet wel verder worden uitgehold door allerlei politici van bevriende landen te gaan aanklagen en hun arrestatie te eisen. Als dit de VS, Rusland of China overkomt is het snel gedaan met die wet.
RP
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Jan 5, 2010 5:22 | Updated Jan 5, 2010 10:09
IDF delegation to UK canceled due to fear of arrest warrants
By HERB KEINON AND JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1262339396113&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
As Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Britain's Attorney-General Baroness Scotland of Asthal are about to meet in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, it has been revealed that a delegation of IDF officers cancelled a planned visit to the UK last week, after the British hosts couldn't guarantee that arrest warrants wouldn't be issued against the invitees.
An outraged Ayalon expressed concern that relations with London could be damaged by the current legal situation in the UK. The issue of changing UK law to prevent the arrest of Israeli officials and officers is expected to loom large in Lady Scotland's meetings with foreign ministry officials.
While it was the defense ministry, and not the foreign ministry, which advised the officers against accepting the British military's invitation, observers believe that airing the story during Lady Scotland's visit might be an attempt on the foreign ministry's behalf put the topic high on the public agenda.
The UK attorney-general's semi-private visit, scheduled months ago, comes less than a month after a British judge's arrest warrant for Kadima leader Tzipi Livni triggered a mini diplomatic crisis, and follows promises from the British government that it would finally act to close the loophole that made the threats of such arrests possible.
Lady Scotland is also expected to address the issue at a lecture at the Hebrew University on Tuesday night entitled "Lawfare: Time for rules of engagement?"
Her lecture is being sponsored by the law school.
Livni canceled a trip to the UK last month to address a Jewish National Fund conference after it was learned that a warrant for her arrest had been issued. At the time both British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband pledged to ensure that nothing similar would happen again.
Israeli officials said that so far nothing tangible has been done to close the loophole in legislation that allows individuals to go to court and ask for an arrest warrant against an alleged war criminal, without the British government having to know about it and, as a result, not having any say about whether it should be issued.
At the same time, the officials pointed out that the Livni affair exploded just prior to the holiday season in Britain, when very little government business is conducted.
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