Mofaz lands in London without incident, is met by Israeli embassy staff
Israeli officials are concerned about Mofaz's possible arrest after failed attempts to secure immunity for the former army chief.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, DANA SOMBERG/MAARIV HASHAVUAUpdated: JUNE 20, 2015 23:19Israel's then army chief Lieutenant-General Shaul Mofaz, 2002 file photo(photo credit: REUTERS)
Former IDF chief and defense minister Shaul Mofaz landed in London late Saturday, where he was met by Israeli embassy staff who escorted him to his hotel.Mofaz, who arrived in London on a British Airways flight from Tel Aviv, went through customs and border control without any problems.Earlier on Saturday, Israeli television reported that Mofaz is at risk of being detained on possible war crimes charges since Israeli authorities had tried and failed to secure diplomatic immunity for him on his trip to London.The former defense minister, who retired from politics and is thus a private citizen, is in London to appear at a conference.Channel 2 had reported earlier Saturday that Israeli diplomats were feverishly working to prevent Mofaz's.Israeli officials are concerned about an arrest warrant being issued against Mofaz during his stay in the United Kingdom.Mofaz was chief of staff during the second intifada. After entering politics, he assumed the post of defense minister.Four years ago, the British government approved a change to the controversial universal jurisdiction law, used by activists to obtain arrest warrants for alleged war crimes aimed at Israeli dignitaries who visit the UK.The law previously allowed private complaints of war crimes to be lodged against military personnel even if they were not British citizens and the alleged crimes were committed elsewhere. High profile targets in recent years have included former foreign minister Tzipi Livni and former defense minister Ehud Barak.