LONDON (Press Release)–Following the issuing of an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni by a London court, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband has declared it was important that senior figures from Israel could visit the UK and have a “proper dialogue”.
His deputy in the Foreign Office, Ivan Lewis, said that the UK government would take action to reform a law which allowed a UK court to issue an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The warrant was granted by a London court at the request of Palestinian plaintiffs and provoked much debate in Britain and condemnation in Israel. The warrant was revoked on Monday when it became clear Livni would not visit the UK.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the UK judge’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against Livni. “We will not agree to a situation in which Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni are sitting on the defendants’ bench,” Netanyahu said, referring to the ministers of the previous Israeli government. He added: “We will not allow for IDF soldiers and commanders, who heroically and morally defended our citizens from a cruel and criminal enemy, to be condemned as war criminals. We outright reject this absurdity.”
British lawyers working with Palestinian activists are increasingly targeting senior Israeli civilian and military figures by seeking their arrest in Britain under the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’, which holds that alleged war criminals can be arrested and charged anywhere.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress