IDF cancels military exchange for fear of War Crimes arrests
coaste...@yahoo.com
IDF Cancels Military Exchange for Fear of War Crimes Arrest
January 6th, 2010
Israel’s impunity for possible Gaza war crimes slowly recedes, drawing
the circle tighter and tighter around IDF officers who might be
implicated for their command roles in the Gaza war. The inestimable
Didi Remez offers this coverage of the story from the Israeli media:
At the last minute, Israel canceled a work visit of Israeli
officers to the UK due to concern that arrest warrants would be issued
against them.
The Israeli delegation, comprised of officers ranking colonel,
lieutenant colonel and major, was invited by the British army to
examine military cooperation. Due to concern that warrants of arrest
would be issued, Israeli officials contacted British government
officials in advance and demanded that they guarantee that the
officers would not be arrested. This is after two weeks ago, a warrant
of arrest was issued against Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni and
earlier there were attempts to have a similar warrant issued against
Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
To the great astonishment of the Israelis—the British announced
last week that they could not guarantee that the officers would not be
arrested. Consultations were held in Israel among the top echelons and
it was decided: under the present circumstances, no risk should be
taken, and the visit was canceled.
This is how culpability is gradually established through a nip here
and a tuck there until finally there is nothing left but to bring the
matter to a head. That is when an arrest will finally be made and a
trial held.
Israel seems to believe that because it is a nation like all others
that it deserves special treatment to ensure it’s officers will not
have to face such unpleasantness:
Israel views this matter very seriously and officials say that it
directly harms the security cooperation between the two countries.
High-ranking officials also say that the situation that has been
created in Britain is completely unacceptable and requires immediate
legislative rectification.
…The Israeli officials intend to make it clear to Baroness
Scotland that Israel expects a change in British legislation that
would ensure that officers and Israeli personages cannot be arrested
in Britain because of lawsuits against them for their part in IDF
operations. “The risk to senior Israeli figures does concrete and
immediate damage to bilateral relations,” said Deputy Foreign Minister
Danny Ayalon. He said “organizations that are hostile to Israel try to
exploit the legal channels and legal tools to threaten the Israeli and
British decision-makers, including the authorities of the attorney
general herself, and to thereby create political facts that should be
determined around the diplomatic negotiating table.” Ayalon warned
that the situation created in Britain also caused damage beyond its
borders, since it increased similar initiatives in other places in the
world.
But the truth is it is a nation not quite like others in that it has
numerous charges of war crimes for the Gaza and Lebanon wars and other
acts of terror against civilians to answer for. But minister Ayalon
needn’t worry about the Brits setting an example to be followed
elsewhere around the world, other legal venues don’t need Britain’s
example to follow suit since they are already preparing their own
courses of action should opportunities present themselves.
In a subsequent post, Didi reports that Yediot reveals the names of
two of the officers who were put in herem:
Itai Virob
Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that Brig. Gen. Herzi Halevi and
Colonel Itai Virob were part of the military delegation that was
supposed to leave for Britain last week.
As reported yesterday, Israel canceled the planned visit by the
military delegation to the UK after British authorities said they
could not guarantee that the IDF officers would not be arrested. Brig.
Gen. Halevi was the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade during
Operation Cast Lead, and Colonel Virob, formerly the commander of the
Kfir Brigade, also entered the Gaza Strip in the course of that
operation with one of his battalions.
Didi provides further background about Virob, noting that he is the
IDF commander who testified in a trial of a soldier accused of
military misconduct in abusing a Palestinian that such behavior was a
normal and accepted part of IDF routine in enforcing the rules of the
military Occupation.
The British attorney general seems to have taken her marching orders
from the Israeli foreign ministry:
British Attorney General Patricia Scotland said last night in a
lecture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem: The government
understands the urgent need to change the system in order to prevent
lawsuits against Israelis, and is determined to enable Israeli leaders
to travel freely to Britain.
But she seems to acknowledge a slight problem in that the Israelis may
actually be legally culpable under international law for their deeds.
Hmm, that does pose an awkward complication:
The British attorney general said that there should not be a safe
haven for war criminals in any democratic country, but it should also
be ensured that the law would not be used for the sake of one
political campaign or another. Scotland emphasized that until the law
was amended, the policy according to which judges could issue arrest
warrants against senior Israeli figures would not change.
The last I checked international laws of war didn’t make any
distinction between a “political campaign” and a legitimate legal
redress. So to call efforts to bring Israelis officers and political
leaders to heel for their actions “political” begs the question: what
are Israel’s acts if not political as well? Let’s take these issues
out of the realm of the political and bring them before a court of
justice. And in order to ensure that the campaign isn’t seen as one-
sided let’s include figures on both sides who may’ve strayed from
acceptable norms of conduct. Let’s Goldstone the whole bunch! Of
course, the Israelis and their supporters know that Israel stands much
more to lose from this since it has killed far more civilians and has
far more political, military and intelligence officials with some form
of blood on their hands. That is why this is a bargain Israel cannot
afford to accept.
Honest truth
go overseas.
> To the great astonishment of the Israelis嚙碼the British announced
> last week that they could not guarantee that the officers would not be
> arrested. Consultations were held in Israel among the top echelons and
> it was decided: under the present circumstances, no risk should be
> taken, and the visit was canceled.
--
嚙踝蕭Of all the extreme fanaticism which plays havoc in man嚙踝蕭s nature, there is
not one as irrational as anti-Semitism. 嚙皺 If the Jews are rich [these
fanatics] are victims of theft. If they are poor, they are victims of
ridicule. If they take sides in a war, it is because they wish to take
advantage from the spilling of non-Jewish blood. If they espouse peace, it
is because they are scared by their natures or traitors. If the Jew dwells
in a foreign land he is persecuted and expelled. If he wishes to return to
his own land, he is prevented from doing so.嚙踝蕭
Lloyd George
coaste...@yahoo.com
> It will serve Britain right when its officers get served warrants when they
> go overseas.
>
> > last week that they could not guarantee that the officers would not be
> > arrested. Consultations were held in Israel among the top echelons and
> > it was decided: under the present circumstances, no risk should be
> > taken, and the visit was canceled.
Err on the side of warrants and due process! Let potential tyrants and
war criminals tremble at the implications of committing these crimes.
>
> --
> “Of all the extreme fanaticism which plays havoc in man’s nature, there is
> not one as irrational as anti-Semitism. … If the Jews are rich [these
> fanatics] are victims of theft. If they are poor, they are victims of
> ridicule. If they take sides in a war, it is because they wish to take
> advantage from the spilling of non-Jewish blood. If they espouse peace, it
> is because they are scared by their natures or traitors. If the Jew dwells
> in a foreign land he is persecuted and expelled. If he wishes to return to
> his own land, he is prevented from doing so.”
>
> Lloyd George