Europe arrests may bar Israeli trips
Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:22:30 GMT

Netanyahu has vowed not to permit Israeli officials who
launched the Gaza war to 'arrive at' The Hague-based
International Criminal Court (ICC).
Concerns of facing arrests in Europe shroud Israel's
hawkish government as the Goldstone report on Gaza wins
more support across the world.

The Israeli government is reportedly considering
limitations on its officials' travel to Europe fearing
that they could be arrested over charges of committing
war crimes during the Gaza war in January.

Israel's Western allies on Wednesday called on Tel Aviv
for a credible investigation into UN allegations of
possible war crimes by the Israel Defense Forces during
the winter conflict in the Gaza Strip.

"Currently there is no specific advisory and different
senior officers are continuing their travel as
planned," army spokesperson Avital Leibovitz told The
Washington Times, adding the army was discussing
Foreign Ministry and other Israeli authorities'
possible restrictions on the travel of senior officials
to Europe.

The Gaza war report by an independent international
investigative committee has drawn much criticism from
Israeli officials for highlighting Israeli army's
crimes against Palestinians during the weeks-long
incursion of the Gaza Strip.

The damning document has brushed off Israeli hopes to
finally normalize ties with Arab states and marred
Israel's relations with those few Arab countries who
have peace deals with Tel Aviv.

But the report, which is finding its way to the
International Criminal Court (ICC) over Israel's
failure to conduct an independent and vivid inquiry
into crimes committed during the Gaza war, has panicked
Israel over possible arrest warrants against its
officials in European countries.

The Israeli government is holding talks with Spain,
Norway, Britain and other EU countries in a bid to bar
international courts from 'intervening in the issue'.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday
hurled still another tirade against the UN report,
vowing not to let the Israeli officials who launched
the Gaza war 'arrive at' the International Court in The
Hague.

The Goldstone report gives Israel six months to
investigate the war crimes charges before recommending
that the matter be sent to the ICC.

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