UK amending 'war crimes' law to end harassment of Israeli leaders
Thursday, July 22, 2010
By: ICEJ News

Move welcomed by Israeli Opposition leader Livni

The new Conservative-led parliament in Britain is drafting an amendment to the nation’s “war crimes” jurisdiction laws which will hopefully curb the harassment of Israeli officials with threatened arrest warrants when visiting the country.

Kadima MK Tzipi Livni welcomed the legislative move on Thursday to change the country’s “twisted” universal jurisdiction clause, which has been exploited by anti-Israel elements to seek Livni’s arrest for her role in authorizing the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in winter 2009.

The change will require a Director of Public Prosecutions to approve all private prosecution for war crimes, Clarke said. Only after such approval will an arrest warrant be issued under the proposed legislation.

The previous British government had promised to amend the law to shield Israeli leaders from such legal abuses, but had never carried out that pledge.