AFP

When it was safe for Tzipi to zip over

ISRAELI bigwigs may not be visiting Britain much in the months ahead following the near arrest on December 13th of Tzipi Livni, the leader of the opposition, for alleged war crimes. A London judge issued an arrest warrant for Ms Livni for her role as foreign minister in Israel's “Operation Cast Lead”, the assault on the Gaza Strip earlier this year. The order was withdrawn when the judge learned that Ms Livni would not be in Britain as planned.

It is the highest-profile case since Britain arrested General Augusto Pinochet more than a decade ago, and has understandably left the Israelis feeling as if they have been singled out. It drew apoplectic protests from Israel and much abject apologising from the British government. Both sides said it was inconceivable that Israeli officials might fear to set foot in England. But the Israelis set little store by assurances that the British “system” would be changed to prevent such cavalier deployment of universal jurisdiction. They said Britain had been promising to change it for years. They were now being told informally that no change was likely before the general election, given Israel's unpopularity in British public opinion. Gordon Brown is said to be looking for some administrative stopgap, meanwhile.

Israelis have had narrow escapes in Britain before. Doron Almog, a former general, would have faced a warrant when he landed in London in 2005. He stayed on the plane and headed back to Tel Aviv. Shaul Mofaz, a former defence minister, and Moshe Yaalon, a minister and former army chief of staff, cancelled visits rather than risk arrest. Ms Livni, as foreign minister, badgered the British government to change the law, at least by requiring consultation with the attorney-general before such arrest warrants can be issued. Israeli lawyers say Britain is the only country exercising universal jurisdiction where no such government “filter” is in place.

There was speculation that the warrant for Ms Livni's arrest might have been requested by Daniel Machover, possibly acting for other clients. He is an Israeli-born, London-based lawyer and a founder-member of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, a pressure group. He has been involved in gathering evidence for possible war-crimes charges against Israeli army officers involved in the assault on the Gaza Strip. But if he meant to pillory Israel's hardline policies, going for Ms Livni missed the mark. Today, she is the leader of the peace camp and has been strident in her attacks on the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, for his partial settlement freeze and his failure to resume peace talks with the Palestinians. Indeed, the incident forced Mr Netanyahu to show rare solidarity with his political foe. It was “absurd”, he said, that she should be hounded so.

Despite the indignation, well-placed Israeli observers said Israel, like other countries, would have no choice but to take account of the growing internationalisation of criminal justice when they plan their campaigns and their travels. A report by Richard Goldstone on the Gaza war for the UN Human Rights Council, published in September, and now Ms Livni's brush with Britain's legal system, were examples of a trend that Israelis could not ignore.