Moshe Ya'alon Cancels Trip to Europe for Fear of Arrest as Israeli War Criminal, Olmert to be Arrested in Britain

Ya’alon: “To Ensure The Army’s Freedom To Act, I Will Not Travel To Europe”

Wednesday October 28, 2009 22:24 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli occupation government vice prime minister and accused war criminal, Moshe Ya’alon, had to cancel a trip to Europe due to fears that he would be apprehended for committing war crimes against the Palestinians during his service as the Israeli Army Chief of Staff.

He said that he is willing to skip trips to Europe to ensure that the Israeli Army has the freedom to act.

In 2002, Ya’alon ordered the assassination of Salah Shihada, one of the leaders of Hamas’ armed wing. The army shelled the residential building where Shihada lived and killed fourteen civilians, including children.

Ya’alon was recently planning to travel to Britain, but had to cancel the trip, and said that cancelling the trip is not a “big loss”, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.

Attorney Daniel Makover, one of the lawyers filing lawsuits against Israeli leaders for committing war crimes against the Palestinians, called for the arrest of Ya’alon the moment he lands in any European country.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry is now acting in order to convince European countries not to allow lawsuits against its officials.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Daniel Ayalon, plans to visit London soon, and the Israeli Embassy plans to increase his security detail during his visit.

Guardian: Olmert could be arrested in Britain for war crimes in Gaza

[ 29/10/2009 - 09:51 AM ]

LONDON, (PIC)--

The British newspaper "The Guardian" has quoted a UK lawyer as saying that former Israeli premier Ehud Olmert would probably face arrest on war crime charges if he visited Britain.

In an article by its Middle East editor Ian Black, the paper said, "Neither Olmert nor Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister during the Cast Lead offensive, and a member of Israel's war cabinet, would enjoy immunity from prosecution for alleged breaches of the Geneva conventions, predicted Daniel Machover, who is involved in intensifying legal work after the controversial Goldstone report on the three-week conflict. Neither are ministers any longer".

It also noted, "Prosecutions of Israeli political and military figures remain likely despite the failure to obtain an arrest warrant for Ehud Barak, the defence minister, when he visited the UK earlier this month, he said. In the Barak case a magistrate accepted advice from the Foreign Office that the minister enjoyed state immunity and rejected an application made on behalf of several residents of the Gaza Strip".

The full article could be read on the following link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/27/olmert-could-face-warcrimes-arrest

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