More attempts have been made in recent weeks to arrest and prosecute Israelis for war crimes due to their roles in the military. First it was Ehud Barak who came for the Labour Party conference in Brighton and now it is Moshe Yaalon. Both attempts were unsuccessful.
It's reignited an issue that had seemingly gone off the radar. In 2005 there was a warrant issued for the arrest of General Doron Almog, only for him to be somehow warned by the Israeli embassy that police were waiting before he disembarked his flight at Heathrow. He flew directly back to Israel as a consequence. It was later leaked that the tip-off was probably resulted from police fears of a 'gunfight' with Almog's security at the airport.
Following the incident, the UK government promised to look into ways that citizen-inspired warrants like this could not be issued. It has for years now continued to be a source of irritation in Israel.
The perfect opportunity surely presented itself to Jack Straw, the minister who apologised to Israel on behalf of the judiciary over the Almog affair, when he announced his proposals to tighten up genocide prosecutions in the UK. Ostensibly the main provisions are that crimes covered can date back to 1991 rather than the current 2001. The accused have to be resident in the UK, and not merely visiting.
This is currently the case with the International Criminal Court Act 2001 so is nothing new. The new plans have been criticised on this basis though and for not dating back far enough and for prosecutions still needing the Attorney General's consent. The further concern would have been on any small print restricting actions under the 1988 Criminal Justice Act, which was the relevant legislation affecting the Almog and Barak moves. The Bill will still have to be scrutinised, but the Jewish Chronicle recently reported that things have changed after the Gaza bombing earlier this year:
"... six months ago, the Foreign Office discreetly notified the Israeli government that, given public reaction to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, the changes would not possible be in the near future."
I'll finish just now with Jack Straw's own words when announcing the update to ICCA:
‘The government is strongly committed to the fight against these heinous crimes. We must send a clear signal that the UK is no safe haven for those who commit them.
‘Those who have committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity over the last two decades must not escape justice. These people must face up to their terrible crimes and we are doing everything in our power to make them accountable for their actions.
‘We have looked at whether our law at present is strong enough. Our preference is for those alleged to have committed such terrible crimes to be brought to justice in the country where the crimes took place, which allows the community that has suffered to see the perpetrators brought to justice.
‘But when this is not possible, we are committed to ensuring those guilty of these crimes are punished appropriately and to the full extent of the law in this country.’
Fine sentiments, but which need to be backed up with action. Our law shouldn't allow for war criminals to visit the UK unimpeded either. There's also no reason for the words I've highlighted in bold above.
Comments