Leaked documents: Israel pressured Britain to prevent the arrest of its officials on war crimes charges

Leaked files obtained by a British investigative newspaper showed that the Israeli government launched a decade-long campaign to protect its officials from criminal prosecution in Britain on charges of committing war crimes. Sources added that these discoveries come at a time when the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

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

Sources continued: "Almog remained inside the plane for two hours before it took off back to Israel. British counter-terrorism police decided not to storm the plane, fearing that the attempt would lead to an armed clash on the Heathrow Airport runway."

According to sources, that incident apparently represented the first time an arrest warrant was issued in Britain against an Israeli citizen for violations against Palestinians, which caused a shock within the Knesset.

After General Almog's escape in 2005, the Israeli government launched a relentless campaign to ensure that such a situation would never be repeated, launching a 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 allows for the prosecution of the most serious crimes such as genocide and torture in another country. Its modern application evolved during the Nuremberg trials, when criminal proceedings were brought against high-ranking Nazi officers.

Sources said that "leaked emails and memos during a hack of the Israeli Ministry of Justice carried out by a group calling itself 'Anonymous for Justice' revealed that the goal of the Israeli pressure campaign was to allow Israeli officials to visit Britain without fear of arrest, especially those accused of serious violations against Palestinians."

Israeli authorities acknowledged a "cyber incident" last April and said it was under review. They did not respond to a request for comment.

An Israeli memo to the British Ministry of Justice indicated concerns about "the misuse of existing criminal procedures in the United Kingdom in universal jurisdiction cases and their impact on Israeli citizens."

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

These recommendations apparently found a receptive audience, as in September 2011, David Cameron's government passed new legislation requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions before issuing arrest warrants under universal jurisdiction, which is exactly what Israel requested. The then 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, and 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 showed was "seriously considering granting his consent to the arrest." However, Starmer circulated the evidence long enough for the Foreign Office to grant Livni's visit "special mission" status, which gave her temporary diplomatic immunity, allowing her to escape.

High-level discussions continued until 2016 with the establishment of the "British-Israeli 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 push for additional amendments, and in a secret correspondence, the British Ministry of Justice tried to reassure the Israelis that "since the introduction of the requirement for the consent 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 tried to reassure the Israelis that "since the introduction of the requirement for the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for special arrest warrant applications, no such arrest warrants have been issued against anyone, including Israeli visitors."

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

She continued: "Our system in this country works in a way that favors those accused of war crimes over the rights of its citizens who are trying to stop those crimes from happening."

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