Palestinians in U.K. seek arrest warrant for Ehud Barak

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"A group of Palestinians in Britain sought on Tuesday to obtain an international arrest warrant for Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who was visiting the United Kingdom at the time for talks with senior officials.

The Palestinian group made the request at the Westminster Magistrates Court, the British paper The Daily Telegraph reported, regarding alleged war crimes perpetrated by Israel during its winter offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Barak's bureau relayed in response to the move that the defense minister did not intend to change his plans.

"No arrest warrant has been issued, and in any event, he has immunity due to his being a minister in the government," the bureau said in a statement. "Therefore, his program will continue without disturbance."

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Arrest warrant sought for Ehud Barak

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/6240836/Arrest-warrant-sought-for-Ehud-Barak.html

A group of Palestinian civilians are seeking to obtain an arrest warrant for Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister.

<snip>

"Mr Barak is due to speak at the Labour Party Conference today, a fringe event for the Labour Friends of Israel.

His speech at the LFI meeting is the first by a senior Israeli minister since the new government took office in February.

The Palestinian group, represented by solicitors Irvine Thanvi Nataz, are seeking to obtain the international arrest warrent at Westminster Magistrates court on Tuesday morning regarding to alleged war crimes and breaches of the Geneva Convention relating to Israel's offensive in Gaza in eight months ago.

They are seeking the arrest under principles of universal jurisdiction citing the International Criminal Court Act 2001 and the Criminal Justice Act.

Earlier this month a United Nations investigation said Israel committed war crimes by deliberately attacking civilians, firing white phosphorous shells and carrying out torture during the offensive. The 575-page report similarly found that Hamas, the militant group controlling Gaza, also may have carried out war cimres by firing rockets at civilian targets in Israel.

The Gaza Offensive took place from December last year to January. According to B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights group, most of those who died in the invasion were Palestinian civilians, more than 250 of them children under 16. B'Tselem said 1,387 Gazans were killed in the fighting. The Israeli military put the death toll at 1,166. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, died in the fighting."

[henank]

1. Motion denied

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3783053,00.html

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Sounds like it would have embarressed the Foreign Office...

Barak's there spending most of his time in talks with them, so it's not like they would have said 'yeah, let's get him arrested' when the court asked them about it. Plus he had diplomatic immunity according to the article. It's purely politics and nothing to get excited about as there will come a time when he will be held accountable for the crimes he's been involved in, and I'd much rather see big fish like him held accountable than the ones far lower down the chain of command...

[shira]

4. of course it was denied - or else the Brits would have to try all their high command for Iraq and...

Afghanistan, where the civilian/combatant kill ratio has been far worse than Israel's.

[Scurrilous]

3. Minister Ben-Eliezer slams 'legal circus' in Spain, UK

Following war crimes motion against Barak, fellow Labor member says, 'It's inconceivable that Hamas-backed courts might actually have Israeli officials arrested'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3783169,00.html

<snip>

"In response to a petition filed in the UK by a Palestinian attorney against Defense Minister Ehud Barak, demanding he be arrested for war crimes over the IDF offensive in Gaza, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer criticized Britain and Spain for allowing legal action against senior Israeli officials and army officers.

"I'm deeply concerned over the legal circus in Spain and the UK. It's inconceivable that Hamas-backed courts might actually have Israeli officials arrested for alleged ethical transgressions," the minister told an Israel Export Institute Conference on Tuesday.

"Who knows, tomorrow morning an Israeli battalion commander may be arrested abroad for participating in an IDF operation," he said.

Ben-Eliezer said Israel must not accept the current situation, which according to him has "crossed our limit of tolerance."

The minister called for the establishment of a governmental legal committee to deal with the new threat."

[Scurrilous]

5. 'We will continue to seek legal action against Israeli officials'

British attorney who tried to have Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrested in UK says efforts to prosecute Israeli officials involved in Gaza war will not temper

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3783209,00.html

<snip>

"Attorney Ali Tayeb, who orchestrated the court petition asking British authorities to arrest Defense Minister Ehud Barak for war crimes allegedly perpetrated during the Gaza war, said Tuesday he will continue to pursue legal action against any Israeli official who arrives in the UK.

Earlier, the London Court rejected the petition, saying Barak enjoys diplomatic immunity and therefore cannot be prosecuted.

Tayeb, a British-Pakistani, prepared the motion which Attorney Michel Massiah then filed with the court. He told Ynet that Israeli officials "must realize that we will be relentless in pursuing legal action against them."

His office, which specializes in human rights, will continue to try and have the British court issue arrest warrants against any Israeli official arriving in the UK, he said.

"I have nothing against Israel personally. My political views have nothing to do with this case," Tayeb told Ynet, adding that he does not exclude the possibility of one day representing an Israeli settler against Hamas – if the case has merit."