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Last update - 09:59 05/10/2009
Vice Premier and ex-IDF chief cancels U.K. visit over arrest fears
By Uri Blau
Tags: Israel News, Moshe Ya'alon 

Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon recently canceled a planned trip to Britain for fear of being arrested there.

Ya'alon was invited to London to attend a fund-raising dinner for Benji's Home, a group home for soldiers with no family in Israel. The project is the initiative of the parents of Maj. Benji Hillman, who was killed in the Second Lebanon War.

Ya'alon was asked to attend the dinner by the British branch of the Jewish National Fund, which is helping the Hillmans raise money for the project, and said he would if the Foreign Ministry's legal department okayed it.
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As chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces in 2002-5, Ya'alon is one of several current and former senior officers whom pro-Palestinian groups have sought to put on trial over the assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh in July 2002. The attack also killed 14 civilians.

When Ya'alon consulted the Foreign Ministry's legal team, they warned that the groups might ask a British court to order his arrest should he visit Britain. They also opined that despite being a minister, he would not enjoy diplomatic immunity, and therefore, the court might accede.

As a result, Ya'alon informed JNF Britain that he would not be able to attend the dinner.

Last week, when Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited London, pro-Palestinian groups sought his arrest for alleged war crimes during January's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. However, the court ultimately decided not to hear the request immediately, enabling Barak to leave London in peace.

In 2004, when pro-Palestinian groups sought the arrest of then-defense minister Shaul Mofaz during a visit to London, a judge ultimately ruled that he did have diplomatic immunity, and could therefore not be arrested.

During last week's incident with Barak, Britain's Foreign Office asked the court to uphold this precedent. But since the hearing was postponed, whether it will do so remains unknown.

Ya'alon told Haaretz that in light of the legal advice he has received, he has refrained from visiting England in recent years so as not to play into the hands of groups fomenting what he termed anti-Israel propaganda.

"This is a campaign whose goal is to delegitimize the state - first via the suits that have already been filed against senior officers over the Salah Shehadeh incident, and then in legal efforts to use the Goldstone report to harm those involved in Operation Cast Lead," he said.
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  1.   Israelis - Persona Non Grata 07:10  |  Simon 05/10/09
  2.   Until Israel atones, this will only get worse... 07:49  |  BBSNews 05/10/09
  3.   don`t have to be pro-Palestinian 09:25  |  Andrea 05/10/09
  4.   Arab mobs influencing Europe 09:46  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 05/10/09
  5.   Bring the matter to a head 09:58  |  David Olesker 05/10/09
  6.   chaim ben kahan 4 10:03  |  potobac 05/10/09
  7.   if you did not commit murders, you should have nothing to fear 10:19  |  mehmet 05/10/09
  8.   Mehmet #7 10:32  |  Marco 05/10/09
  9.   3Chaim Ben Kahan. Your war heroes. 10:54  |  Maureen Ann 05/10/09
  10.   Stuff like this is why I`m boycotting the UK 11:00  |  MARK KLEIN, M.D. 05/10/09
  11.   Thank goodness he`ll be prevented from representing us in the UK 11:10  |  Esther 05/10/09
  12.   Well, MARK M.D... you`re missing far more than they are... 11:14  |  Esther 05/10/09
  13.   #10 MARK KLEIN, M.D. Ireland also ---PLEASE3rd try 11:24  |  Labhras 05/10/09
  14.   Marco 11:29  |  David Ben 05/10/09
  15.   This is a positive move foward. 11:30  |  Labhras 05/10/09
  16.   Chaim, I guess you`ve never been 11:34  |  r cummings 05/10/09
  17.   Dr. Mark Klein M.D. is boycotting us. Hooray! 11:36  |  Michael 05/10/09
  18.   #5: David Olesker---seeking one brave soul 11:38  |  Labhras 05/10/09
  19.   Great news 11:40  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/10/09
  20.   Chaim..... 11:40  |  David Ben Cohen 05/10/09
  21.   #10 Mark Klein 11:49  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/10/09
  22.   Contributors 12:00  |  Spock 05/10/09
  23.   Use same medicine on Lefties and Arabs 16:02  |  CM 05/10/09
  24.   Gotta love the British courts! 16:03  |  Phil 05/10/09
  25.   R.Cummings ,you`re a liar : Brits tortured in Saudi Arabia 16:04  |  Absolute Sweden 05/10/09
  26.   War Crimes 16:29  |  Paul Fingerhut 05/10/09
  27.   Israel should arrest british ministers/defence officials 16:33  |  Israeliguy 05/10/09
  28.   howabout you arrest all British soldiers returning 16:36  |  Israeliguy 05/10/09
  29.   Spock, amen to that.... 16:58  |  Silvienne 05/10/09
  30.   If you arrest them with whom will you negotiate peace? 17:11  |  David israel 05/10/09
  31.   "...a campaign whose goal is to delegitimize 17:40  |  David M 05/10/09
  32.   # 10 mark 17:59  |  Axel 05/10/09
  33.   Just regular harassing of Israelis - totally survivable. 17:59  |  17 05/10/09
  34.   Whilst UK ChiefStaff is visiting Kirya-back in UK they arresting 19:21  |  Alan SA 05/10/09
  35.   marco 8 20:32  |  potobac 05/10/09
  36.   Marco #8 20:52  |  ahmet 05/10/09
  37.   $29, potobac... 21:00  |  Silvienne 05/10/09
  38.   I am also boycotting the UK 21:06  |  DAVID KAPLAN 05/10/09
  39.   # 24 david israel 21:08  |  Axel 05/10/09
  40.   Ya`alon - A man whose reputation is lower than alligator p*** 21:43  |  Palestinian in UK 05/10/09
  41.   Ahmet # 33 - And why didn`t Turkish authorities prevent it 21:44  |  David Israel 05/10/09
  42.   Don`t Forget the 16 civilians in Gaza 21:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/10/09
  43.   Labhras it is always nice to see an Irish defending a British 22:20  |  Gil 05/10/09
  44.   Labhras it is always nice to see an Irish defending a British 22:21  |  Gil 05/10/09
  45.   He can`t visit Eurabia, DARN! Sharia in the UK soon. 22:26  |  4:20 05/10/09
  46.   #34 David Kaplan 22:36  |  Ivor Biggun 05/10/09
  47.   Gil if you want to arrest Bush/Blair ok by me 23:14  |  Labhras 05/10/09
  48.   Ex-IDF chief cancels U.K. visit over arrest fears. 23:40  |  David Nigel Braham 05/10/09
  49.   #33 someone is blind or what! 00:34  |  syrian opinion 06/10/09
  50.   ARABS with money can make accusations & legally tie people up 00:52  |  PETER SM 06/10/09
  51.   ANDREA You dont have to be anti Israel to be disgusted by Hamas 00:59  |  PETER SM 06/10/09
  52.   #4, CHAIM, you mean like.... 01:31  |  VIPER 06/10/09
  53.   Father of intifada was rewarded for corruption and murders with 01:59  |  Meo 06/10/09
  54.   You pay your money and you take your choice 03:37  |  Mark Lincoln 06/10/09
  55.   this is the war crime 1400 death palestinian against 16 israeli 04:15  |  sam 06/10/09
  56.   Marco #8 04:32  |  ahmet 06/10/09
  57.   Suleivan why should IAF pay the price for Shahadeh`s use of human 04:40  |  Vadim 06/10/09
  58.   Label someone a "terrorist" & you can justify anything. 06:18  |  peacelover 06/10/09
  59.   Boycott Brits Now 06:50  |  B Mezritch 06/10/09
  60.   I will cancel my visit to London, too. 07:34  |  David Cohen 06/10/09
  61.   To Lahras 12:57  |  John 06/10/09
  62.   cancellation of visits to UK 05:36  |  Norman Gardner 08/10/09
  63.   cancellation of visits to UK 05:52  |  Norman Gardner 08/10/09
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