Israeli ex-military chief cancels trip to UK over threat of war crimes arr

[emad]

Israeli ex-military chief cancels trip to UK over threat of war crimes arrest

Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Friday September 16, 2005
The Guardian


A former Israeli military chief, Moshe Yaalon, has cancelled a trip to London for fear of arrest on war crimes charges relating to attacks on Palestinian civilians and property.

The Israeli authorities have also warned the present chief of staff, General Dan Halutz, to avoid travel to the UK after a warrant was issued in London against a third officer, retired major general Doron Almog, for alleged crimes in the Gaza Strip. Israeli diplomats helped Mr Almog to evade arrest when he flew into Heathrow on Sunday by warning him not to leave the plane.

The warrant has infuriated the Israeli government. The foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, described it as "scandalous" and planned to press the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, for a change in the law that makes such arrests possible. Aides of Ariel Sharon said he was considering raising the issue at a meeting with Tony Blair at the UN in New York yesterday.

Mr Yaalon, who retired as a major general in June, called off his visit to a fundraising event for an Israeli soldiers' welfare association this weekend after officials received information that warrants were being sought against him and Gen Halutz by lawyers in London acting for Palestinian clients.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1571581,00.html

[acmavm]

1. If there's a possibility that he's a terrorist, I say arrest him. I don't

care what country the guy comes from.

[Faab32]

3. What is aterrorist?

It sems that thse days all discussions about right or wrong is based on the word terrorist.

If a person a war criminal, who commited crimes agains civilians, he/she should be presecuted.

but, in the case for Israel, that will NEVER happen. That country stands on top of ANY law and their leaders are untouchables, no matter what the world oppinion says and does.

BR,
/FA

[papau]

2. "extensive destruction-not justified by military necessity" -Bush arrest?

What is Almog accused of?

Lawyers in London obtained an arrest warrant against him for allegedly breaching an article of the fourth Geneva Convention that makes a crime of "extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly". As commander of the army in Gaza for three years after the intifada started in 2000 he is accused of giving orders for the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian homes.

What about the army chief of staff and his predecessor?

Human rights groups say Moshe Yaalon and Dan Halutz (left) face arrest on similar grounds or for breaching other articles of the conventions over the killing of civilians, including setting policies which permitted soldiers to shoot Palestinians as young as 12 .