IDF traveling to London under false names

yourjewishnews.com ^ | 3/1/11 | staff

[Nachum]

IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen Avi Benayahu on Monday said he traveled to the United Kingdom on a false name over fears of being arrested for alleged war crimes, in an interview with Defense News.

"In my last visit to London, I had to assume a false name because well-funded anti-Israel activists are exploiting universal jurisdiction powers to wage lawfare against us," Benayahu explained. "It's absurd, and I understand the government is trying to legislate changes to prevent this."

Benayahu said that, "The British and other European governments are just as concerned as we are about terror, and leaders are realizing that whoever feeds the snake of radical Islam will ultimately get bitten."

This is not the first time an Israeli official has had been caught up with problems traveling to the UK amid fears of being arrested. In December 2009, an arrest warrant was issued for opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who was scheduled to speak at a Jewish charity event in London, over her involvement in Operation Cast Lead, when she was foreign minister. She canceled her trip.

[ml/nj]

What ever happened to diplomatic immunity? We never arrested Arafat or various Soviet Communists when they came here.

ML/NJ

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

I think it only covers diplomats and serving government ministers, not former ones...

[Joe 6-pack]

Military attaches generally enjoy diplomatic immunity. Visiting military officials or those in country for training do not. For example, the British Military attache in Washington is embassy staff and enjoys diplomatic immunity. A British officer cross-training with a US unit at a stateside military base, or traveling to the US on personal business would not.

[rahbert]

Back in the day I recall that troops manning the surveillance listening posts in Asmara and
along the Iranian-Soviet frontier had official
passports. In any event they had red covers.