General Doron Almog Reprise

Scotland Yard have issued an explanation of the non-arrest of General Doron Almog, for whom a warrant was issued in 2005 concerning his alleged demolition of fifty-nine Palestinian homes. "Under British law," says the Guardian, "war crimes should be treated so seriously that even if they are committed abroad, UK courts have jurisdiction to try suspects"; but only if the suspects condescend to go where police are waiting to arrest them. Almog was tipped off about the warrant and, as befits an officer and a gentleman, sat on his El Al plane at Heathrow for two hours until it took off for Israel. The British police considered boarding the aircraft, but refrained from doing so because they were afraid of being shot by Israeli guards doing a wonderful job under difficult circumstances. The officer in charge was unsure of his legal right to board the plane without permission from El Al, and "the time scale involved made it impossible to receive the appropriate advice before the El Al flight was due to return to Israel". Apparently it did not occur to anyone to stop the plane taking off until the matter was settled, since the escape of a suspected war criminal is as nothing compared to the prospect of delays at Heathrow.