Israel may provide counsel to officials in war crimes trials overseas

Haaretz 08:57 26/06/2006

By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
The state will provide the legal defense for state and defense establishment employees prosecuted in foreign countries or international courts for action they took as representatives of the State of Israel, according to a regulation approved Sunday by the ministerial committee for legislation. The decision comes in the wake of arrest warrants issued in Britain against senior Israel Defense Forces officials. About nine months ago, Major General Doron Almog (res.) returned from London without disembarking an El Al flight when he found out there was an arrest warrant for him in England related to the IDF's demolition of 60 homes in Rafah. Haaretz later reported that complaints were also filed in Britain against IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and his predecessor, Moshe Ya'alon, for their involvement in the deaths of 14 Palestinian civilians when Israel assassinated Salah Shehada in July 2002. T
he chairman of the legislation committee, Justice Minister Haim Ramon, said it was essential to defend Israelis facing prosecution for carrying out their duties. "This is crucial regulation to defend to the highest office-holders who were carrying out the state's instructions - first and foremost heads of the security establishment - from hostile elements that want to harm the State of Israel by putting these office-holders on the defendant's bench." The regulation calls for the establishment of a committee to determine the extent of the state's involvement in the legal defense. In addition, the state has reserved the right to reject certain legal arguments that could be used in the individual's defense but might hamper the state's desire "to safeguard the national interest of the state in any way it deems correct."