Former Israeli FM Tzipi Livni Will Be Arrested If Enters UK

Tuesday December 15, 2009 17:35 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC & Agencies

Arab and Israeli media sources reported Monday that a British court has issued an arrest warrant against former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for her role in orchestrating last winter's offensive against Gaza.

Arab and Israeli media sources reported Monday that a British court has issued an arrest warrant against former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for her role in orchestrating last winter's offensive against Gaza.

Livni canceled her participation in a Jewish function in the UK, after receiving information from Scotland Yard that a warrant for her arrest had been issued.

Livni's office dismissed reports that the trip was cancelled over this warrant, adding that Livni spoke to the conference through the video conferencing technology as planned.

Some Palestinian solidarity groups in the UK have been following up on the war on Gaza and filed lawsuit against Israeli leaders accusing them of war crimes, which would subject any Israeli senior official for arrest in certain European countries.

The Israeli war on Gaza December 08 – January 09 claimed the lives of around 1500 Palestinians, over 5000 wounded and over 13 Israeli dead soldiers in addition to huge damage of the infrastructure of the coastal region.

Livni, a long term right winger, lost the Prime Minister elections to Benjamin Netanyahu. Livni is the leader of Kadima, a party formed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and led by senior leaders from Labor, such as Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert from Likud and Sharon himself before he enters a long coma which he is not expected to recover from. Kadima is recognized as centrist in the Israeli political spectrum and was the party that led the devastating war against the Gaza Strip.

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