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November 4, 2010

Israel Suspends Talks over UK Law Allowing Arrests of Foreign Officials
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Israel has suspended "strategic dialogue" with Britain over a British
law allowing the arrest of visiting foreign officials accused of human
rights violations. A number of Israeli military and civilian leaders
have canceled trips to Britain in recent years over fears of arrest for
war crimes. On a visit to Israel, British Foreign Affairs Secretary
William Hague pledged that the law will be repealed.

William Hague: "It’s important that Israeli politicians are able to
visit the United Kingdom. We are changing the law. It doesn’t just
affect Israel; it can affect other countries, as well, so that any
arrest in the United Kingdom as a universal jurisdiction would have to
be one that had a reasonable prospect of a prosecution, so that it is
not used for trivial or political reasons."



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