Community | December 15, 2009 | 23 comments

British arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Foreign Minister

source: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/12/15/british-arrest-warrant-for-tzipi-livni-former-israe...

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Just as she was preparing to come speak to a conference in London, Israel's former Foreign Minister found out there was a chance she could be picked up by the cops. A British magistrate issued a warrant for her arrest, likely for war crimes alleged to have been committed during the Gaza war. Needless to say, Israel's government was not pleased:
"The Israeli ministry said in a statement: “If the leaders of Israel will not be able to visit Britain in a respectable and appropriate manner, it would naturally be a real obstacle to Britain’s willingness to play an active role in the Middle East peace process.”'

The British government, which did not call for or support the warrant, has been busy trying to patch up relations with the Israelis.

We're familiar with war crimes indictments for some of the world's most reviled regimes: Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan for example is unable to travel to several dozen countries because of an outstanding warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in the Hague. But it gets a little more sticky when an accusation of war crimes falls on an ally. This was arguably one of the sticking factors to the United States joining the ICC treaty: a hesitation to open top officials to prosecution. People often point to the "Kissinger Question": Henry Kissinger served as the US Secretary of State, but he's also reviled in many countries around the world as a war criminal.

What do you think? Are war crimes prosecutions inherently or overly political? Is that what's happening in the UK?

NEWS BLOG: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/12/15/british-arrest-warrant-for-tzipi-livni-...

SOURCE: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65525b90-e8ed-11de-a756-00144feab49a.html
IMAGE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/2489406/Israel-leade...
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23 comments // British arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Foreign Minister

  • richjm
    • 0
      richjm  

    • If Britain's going to attempt to charge other country's senior figures with war crimes, we have to be willing to accept the same should any nations take umbrage with Tony Blair's (and other senior MPs) involvement in the shadier aspects of the Iraq invasion and accusations of illegal torture. As it is, that won't happen so it's ridiculously hypocritical for us to talk about other country's failings before we've really looked at our own.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
  • maasanova
  • TranceSendDance
  • WhiteNoise
  • goodname
  • treewolf39
  • Betico
  • Dan_Reiter
    • 0
      Dan_Reiter  

    • This is a disgrace to the United Kingdom. How can Israel ever be expected to accept any kind of peace treaty with the Arabs if it is routinely accused of bogus war crimes whenever the state tries to defend its citizens form indiscriminate violence?

    • 2 years ago
  • Betico
    • 0
      Betico  
    • Dan_Reiter:

      uh, because they're NOT bogus war crimes...just because white people do mean things to poor brown people doesn't make the violence any more legitimate than when its the other way around.

    • 2 years ago
  • BerthaAngela
  • Betico
  • SagaciousNJ
    • 0
      SagaciousNJ  

    • This magistrate couldn't have been more idiotic.

      Leaving aside the fact that it was a self righteous move by jumped-up, half-cocked public defender and ignoring the fact that this act would have damaged foreign relations and ultimately harmed the cause he delusionally sought to champion; no matter who was targeted: The magistrate made (arguably) the worst possible choice in arresting Livni.

      As the leader of the Kadima party Livni leads the largest party in the Knesset and spearheads the Jewish Israeli effort to establish lasting peace and a two state solution.
      Granted she's hardly a dyed in the wool peace-nik but, there is no more influential supporter of Peaceful negotiation in the Legislature.

      Its roughly analogous to arresting Charlton Heston to protest segregration.

    • 2 years ago
  • Betico
    • 0
      Betico  
    • SagaciousNJ:

      you mean segregation is still happening in the US and the late charlton heston was a key gov't figure in instating institutional oppression? if so, then you're so totally right.

    • 2 years ago
  • SagaciousNJ
    • 0
      SagaciousNJ  
    • SagaciousNJ:

      Well, Livni isn't as friendly with Meretz as I'd like, and I flat out disagree with her often, but despite the sarcastic tone, it sounds like we agree.

      Let me break it down...Further

      The basis of my metaphor is that Heston was white and thus a participant and beneficiary of the racist institutions that (even now) serve to disenfranchise minorities in america. Similarly Tzipi Livni works in the Israeli government and so is an obvious participant and (arguably) a beneficiary of Palestinian Oppression (which is currently far worse than racism in america at any point save reconstruction). In both cases they're working against those systems with Heston being more earnest, I think and Livni the More effective as a result of influence.

      By the logic that most here espouse it would have been agreeable to arrest LBJ himself on the (nebulous) grounds of institutional racism and if records are accurate "personal" racism. It isn't revolutionary to say that not every member of a government is equally responsible for its wrongdoings.

      Can you or anyone else here even "conceive" of the notion that both of these "may" have been bad decisions, on balance?

      Harmful to their respective causes of Black Civil Rights and Palestinian/Arab-Israeli equality? Is it so ungraspable?

    • 2 years ago
  • SW1
    • 0
      SW1  

    • Are you people out of your minds?!?!?! Israel responds in a defensive war instigated and initiated by over 3 years of incessant rocket attacks on civilian populations by a terrorist organization (Hamas) which has is it's charter as their desired goal to be the ultimate destruction and slaughter of every Israeli and Jew.

      Are you people really that brain washed?

      Where is your anger towards Hamas and these cowards who fire rockets at children's schools and hide among their own children hoping they are killed to be used to gain political leverage!??!

    • 2 years ago
  • emilio
    • 0
      emilio  
    • SW1:

      The argument is that the efforts of Hamas is disproportionate to the mass killings of Palestinians. 3 years of rocket firing is NOTHING compared to 60 years of oppression from Israel.

      I find it interesting that Britain would issue that warrant because Britain was key to creating the state of Israel. Early "settlers" would not have been able to move in without the assistance of Britain and it's arms.

      Israeli's still party and have family gatherings and vacations. Palestinians are prevented from moving about their OWN territory as they please, are intentionally denied medical care, and have a very difficult time even getting staples like oil and flour into their country.
      Israel also restricts the amount of water allowed to Palestinians.

      This is why many say Israel is enacting an intentional apartheid on Palestine.

    • 2 years ago
  • sidewaysclyde
    • 0
      sidewaysclyde  
    • SW1:

      Emilio basically took the words from my mouth. The violence Hamas has perpetrated against Israel cannot be condoned, but saying that the conflict is only three years old and that Israel is fighting out of defense is ignoring the historical and social processes that have created the context of contemporary issues.

    • 2 years ago
  • maasanova
    • 0
      maasanova  

    • I should add that the US is directly complicit for these crimes because of their blind allegiance to this terrorist state. Where do you think that Israel got it's white phosophorous, helicoptors, fighter jets and other munitions from?

    • 2 years ago
  • thewhompus
  • Aglaia
    • 0
      Aglaia  

    • I'd love to see many world leaders held responsible for their war crimes, but the US continually gets away with it. But I also believe that an arrest warrant is accurate in this instance.

    • 2 years ago
  • maasanova
    • 0
      maasanova  

    • There are a full list of US politicians that should be arrested for war crimes, so there is a bit of hypocrisy there, but Israel is a special case, because it's ongoing human rights issues.

      Send them to the gallows for the Gaza, Lebanon and Beriut massacres, and hold US leaders responsible as well.

    • 2 years ago
  • MLSERFES
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