Israeli Government lobbies UK to weaken war crimes law
The Guardian reports:
The government is considering weakening laws designed to capture alleged war criminals and torturers who enter Britain, after pressure from the Israeli government, the Guardian has learned.
The changes would bar individuals from seeking international warrants for the arrest of people suspected of serious human rights abuses. The government has confirmed that Israeli officials have lobbied for changes in the law, which has kept some of their military officials away from Britain in case there should be an attempt to arrest them.
If there weren’t a double standard, Israel wouldn’t have to do any lobbying. After all, if Blair, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld don’t have anything to worry about when they enter Britain, why should an Israeli?
Israel wouldn’t have to do any lobbying if there weren’t a double standard. If Blair, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld are free to move about on British soil, why shouldn’t any Israeli be?
testing, 1,2, 3. (post not showing)
It sounds like what you’re saying is: If even one person gets away with a crime, then we should set all the criminals free from prison and stop prosecuting them.. After all – we can’t have a dual standard..
No, what she’s saying is that if everyone except one specific group is ignored, there’s something screwed up with the system.
I should also note that the law as it is now – which allows anyone to demand an arrest warrant for war crimes (and the consequant level of proof can be assumed to be relatively low) – is inherently open to great abuse.
Eyal, it hasn’t just been used against Israel. Think of Hutu genocidaires being tried in Belgium, or Pinochet’s earlier legal troubles in Britain as a result of a Spanish judge’s action against him.
Take it from someone who actually lives in the UK, the law is very much flawed. If the governement of the UK wished to arrest a suspected wear criminal for prosecution that would be one thing, but at the moment anyone with the appropriate fees and paperwork can lodge a request for arrest.
Interesingly I don’t recall similar arrest requests being made when we knew that Robert Mugabe might be visiting the UK, but I guess bringing justice to Zimbabwe isn’t nearly as exciting as always banging on about how Israel’s leaders are ‘war criminals’.
These laws don’t work because they inevitably entangle politics and law. If you want every Arab leader (particularly every Palestinian leader) to be brought up on charges, by all means, support those in Europe who want to prosecute Daron Almog.