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UK court issues, then revokes, arrest warrant for Israel ex-foreign minister

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A British magistrate court issued an arrest warrant Monday for Israel's opposition chairwoman on war crimes charges relating to Israel's Gaza offensive earlier this year, but withdrew the warrant after discovering she wasn't in the country. Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni was scheduled to speak at the Jewish National Fund Vision 2010 conference in London over the weekend, but quietly canceled her travel plans, apparently fearing possible arrest.. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are outraged at the action and fear the move will hamper Britain's role in Middle East peace negotiations. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement condemning the warrant. According to the statement, the MFA is concerned the action "seriously compromises Britain's ability to play the active role in the Middle East peace process that it desires." It also expressed Israel's desire for future compromises with the country saying Israel and Britain are "both engaged in a common struggle against the forces of international terror." In October, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon decided to call off a scheduled trip to attend a fundraising event for the Jewish National Fund after legal advisers from the Israeli MFA said that he may be arrested over his involvement in a 2002 airstrike that killed Hamas leader Salah Shehadeh and 14 civilians. Just one week earlier, Palestinian officials attempted to have Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrested on charges of war crimes while he was in Britain for a meeting with UK government leaders, but the British court rejected the petition citing Barak's diplomatic immunity. Israeli officials are concerned about the possibility of being charged with war crimes in Britain and other foreign countries based on the theory of universal jurisdiction, which allows a country to prosecute serious crimes against humanity no matter where the activity takes place.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 15, 2009 (boomark / email).