Britain’s chief prosecutor says he blocked an attempt to serve visiting Israeli politician Tzipi Livni with an arrest warrant.
Prosecutor Keir Starmer’s decision Thursday comes weeks after Britain tightened its law on universal jurisdiction, a principle that allows British courts to prosecute foreigners accused of crimes against humanity, wherever they were committed.
Starmer did not say who sought the warrant for Livni.
However, pro-Palestinian activists have previously sought the arrest of Israelis using the law. The law strained U.K.-Israeli relations, as Israeli officials cancelled trips rather than face arrest.
Previously, anyone in Britain could apply to a judge for such warrants. But after changes last month, Starmer must approve them.
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”……The coalition government claims that it is in favour of applying universal jurisdiction here. But it has brought forward proposals to change the law on arrest warrants requested by private individuals in international cases that will, in practice, deny access to criminal justice to victims from those countries allied to Britain who are prepared to withdraw intelligence co-operation or use other political or economic pressure to achieve immunity for suspects.
If the law is changed, suspects from a list of “protected countries” that includes Israel, America, China, Saudi Arabia and potentially others, such as Bahrain, will visit our shores with impunity, making us a safe haven for some war criminals and torturers. This outcome would be a sick parody of true universal jurisdiction…..”