Secret Files: Israel Pressured Britain to Grant Immunity to Officials Accused of War Crimes

SadaNews - Leaked files obtained by a British investigative newspaper revealed that the Israeli government has waged a decade-long campaign to protect its officials from criminal prosecutions in Britain for alleged war crimes.

Declassified UK, which specializes in research on military and intelligence institutions, added that these discoveries come at a time when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for committing genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

The newspaper stated, "When retired Israeli General Doron Almog boarded his flight from Tel Aviv on September 11, 2005, he expected to soon set foot on British soil. However, just minutes after the plane landed at Heathrow Airport, an Israeli embassy official boarded the plane and warned Almog not to disembark; an arrest warrant had been issued for the former army commander for war crimes in Gaza, and British police officers were waiting at the immigration desk to arrest him."

Declassified UK continued, "Almog remained on the plane for two hours before it took off back to Israel. British anti-terrorism police decided not to storm the plane for fear that such an attempt would lead to an armed confrontation on the runway at Heathrow Airport."

According to the newspaper, that incident seemingly represented the first time an arrest warrant was issued in Britain against an Israeli citizen for violations against Palestinians, causing shock within the Knesset.

After General Almog's escape in 2005, the Israeli government launched a relentless campaign to ensure such a situation would never happen again, initiating a lobbying campaign to pressure Britain to change its approach to "universal jurisdiction" legislation, which allows for the prosecution of perpetrators of serious crimes in another country.

Universal jurisdiction enables the prosecution of the gravest crimes, such as genocide and torture, in another country. Its modern application evolved during the Nuremberg trials when criminal proceedings were held against senior Nazi officers.

The newspaper noted that "emails and memos leaked during a hacking of the Israeli Ministry of Justice by a group calling itself (Anonymous for Justice) revealed that the aim of the Israeli pressure campaign is to allow Israeli officials to visit Britain without fear of arrest, particularly those accused of serious violations against Palestinians."

Israeli authorities acknowledged in April that a "cyber incident" had occurred, stating it is under review. They did not respond to a request for comment.

An Israeli memo addressed to the British Ministry of Justice expressed concerns about the "abuse of existing criminal procedures in the UK in cases of universal jurisdiction and their impact on Israeli citizens."

Israel demanded that "the consent of the Attorney General or the Director of Public Prosecutions be a prerequisite before issuing any arrest warrants or summons."

These recommendations seemingly found receptive ears, as in September 2011, David Cameron's government passed new legislation requiring the approval of the Director of Public Prosecutions before issuing arrest warrants under universal jurisdiction, which is exactly what Israel requested.

At the time, British Foreign Secretary William Hague stated, "We cannot be in a situation where Israeli politicians feel they cannot visit this country."

Despite the changes, Israel was not entirely reassured. In October 2011, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni faced an arrest request during her visit to Britain on charges of war crimes in Gaza.

According to the new legislation, the request was sent to the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, who an Israeli document indicated was "seriously considering granting permission for the arrest." However, Starmer deliberated on the evidence long enough for the Foreign Office to grant Livni's visit the status of a "special mission," thus granting her temporary diplomatic immunity, which allowed her to escape.

High-level discussions continued until 2016 with the establishment of the "UK-Israel Dialogue on Universal Jurisdiction." The files showed Israeli instructions to "ensure that the meeting is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act."

During those meetings, Israel continued to pressure for further amendments, and in confidential correspondence, the British Ministry of Justice attempted to reassure Israelis that "since the introduction of the requirement for the approval of the Director of Public Prosecutions, no arrest warrants have been issued against anyone, including Israeli visitors."

In a secret cable, the British Ministry of Justice sought to reassure Israelis that "since the introduction of the requirement for the approval of the Director of Public Prosecutions for requests for arrest warrants, no such warrants have been issued against anyone, including Israeli visitors."

Commenting on the crisis, Huda Amouri, co-founder of the organization "Palestine Action," stated that "it is disgraceful and an insult to our democracy that the Israeli government has the ability to pressure our government to change laws in its favor and to prevent their prosecution for war crimes."

She continued, "Our system in this country operates in a way that favors those accused of war crimes over the rights of its citizens who seek to stop such crimes from occurring."

To date, the British government continues to grant "special mission" certificates to Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who received diplomatic immunity for a visit to London in March 2024, amidst the ongoing war in Gaza.