[images added by this website] Monday, September 19, 2005 Israel allocates $1m for officers facing war-crime charges By Yuval Yoaz Haaretz Correspondent THE state [of Israel] will allocate $1 million to defend senior army officers charged abroad with war crimes, if a bill proposed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is passed. The draft law will be submitted for the cabinet's approval at its regular weekly meeting next Sunday. David Irving comments: NOTHING new about such a fund, of course. In Britain, if ministers of generals or other servants of the Crown find themselves snared by the law, even by libel actions, HM Treasury picks up the often considerable legal bills.    But other aspects of this situation do intrigue us: "Livni has appointed a legal team whose mission is to persuade Great Britain and other European countries to change their laws so that foreign nationals cannot be prosecuted." Didn't Israel only a few days ago pass a law against 'Holocaust' denial that applies to anyone anywhere in the world?    Have they ever ceased in their unremitting efforts against Nazis, however aged, around the world? And now they want their own war criminals to be immune from prosecution.    There must be some equitability in it somewhere, but I am still searching for it. Livni has appointed a legal team whose mission is to persuade Great Britain and other European countries to change their laws so that foreign nationals cannot be prosecuted. The justice minister convened an emergency meeting on Sunday in the wake of an incident last week, when Major General (res.) Doron Almog (above) refrained from disembarking from an El Al plane in London, returning to Israel on the same aircraft, in order to evade an arrest warrant issued against him in Britain. Among those supporting Livni's proposals in Sunday's meeting were Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, State Prosecutor Eran Shendar, chief military prosecutor Brigadier General Avihai Mandelblit and other senior legal figures in the military, the intelligence services and the Foreign Ministry. The new team was directed to draft recommendations for trying to change legislation in European states whose laws embody the concept of "universal authority" and have provisions for prosecuting foreign nationals for human rights violations. These countries include the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, among others. The problem, according to legal experts, is that in Britain a complainant can petition a court to issue an arrest warrant against a suspect without the involvement of the police or prosecutorial authorities. Some British diplomats, too, are uneasy with the current situation. They recommend adopting the Belgian model, which stipulates some kind of connection between the suspected crime and Belgium or its citizens as a precondition for prosecution. "It's untenable to have a situation in which a soldier cannot step on the soil of a friendly country because some fly-by-night organization has decided to file a complaint against him," said a senior Justice Ministry official on Sunday. The Justice Ministry will assess the current legal situation across Europe, including a country-by-country evaluation of the "risk factor" for prosecution for war crimes that each nation presents to Israeli soldiers and officers. As part of this assessment, Israel's European embassies will be asked to consult with local legal experts. The newly appointed team will make recommendations regarding additional measures and will deal with any specific cases that arise. London, Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Israel starts £1m 'war-crime' fund LEGAL authorities in Israel have set aside almost £1 million to fight court battles for senior army officers who find themselves embroiled war crimes allegations after a retired general narrowly escaped arrest when his flight touched down in Britain. A government committee led by Israel's Justice Minister also decided to press the British Government to change the war crimes legislation after a Palestinian human rights group successfully sought an arrest warrant from Bow Street Magistrates' Court against the commander. The committee, outraged by the action against Doron Almog and threats hanging over current and former army chiefs, also offered serving senior soldiers the opportunity to seek legal advice from the chief military prosecutor before visiting Britain. Scotland Yard returned the warrant against Major-General Almog for "technical and procedural" reasons.       More on those nice folks Daughter of Israeli ambassador to UK, Tzvei Hefetz, drug smuggler, freed from Peruvian jail after just 18 months - a heart-warming tale of drugs, influence, an Israeli ambassador's pending appointment, and a prison beauty pageant: "Hefetz was arrested after she tried to board a flight to Holland with more than 4 kilograms (10 pounds) of cocaine."   Outrage, as what goes around comes around Israel condemns UK attempt to arrest top general for atrocities   Israeli general evades arrest at Heathrow, London: tipped off by ambassador, flies back Israel, pleads was only acting under orders   More top Israeli officers and ministers targeted for human-rights prosecution abroad

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