Aljazeera - Inside Story - Politics over justice? (2009)

Aljazeera - Inside Story - Politics over justice? (30.9.2009)

Immune from prosecution - Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, avoids court in the UK. Palestinian rights groups in London attempted to have Barak arrested over Israel's war on Gaza, which left about 1,400 Palestinians dead. Barak's anticipated visit to the UK brought protests not only from Palestinian groups but also from members of the British parliament. As Israeli defence minister, Barak ordered Israel's offensive on Gaza. The British foreign office fought the case - bringing in its top lawyers who claimed that Barak has immunity. He is in Britain on official business meeting David Milliband, the British foreign minister. So, did political considerations override justice? And what does it all mean for the applicability of international humanitarian law? Inside Story, with presenter Nick Clark, discusses with guests Michel Abdel Massih, an international criminal lawyer and Queen's Council and the man who filed the suit, Dan Schueftan, a professor of political science at Haifa University, and Betty Hunter, the general secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Committee.