Israel moves to prevent further war crime lawsuits

Israeli Military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi Wednesday ordered the army to consult with its legal advisers during future operations.

Legal advisors will now work only with divisional headquarters while operations are underway, Haaretz reported.

During the Gaza offensive a year ago, legal advisers took part in the planning as well as the selection and approval of targets for destruction. They were, however, rarely consulted once the combat began.

The war left more than a thousand Palestinians dead, including many women and children. The offensive also inflicted more than $1.6 billion damage on the impoverished, under-siege Gaza.

Under the new rules, greater emphasis has been placed on training Israeli officers in the rules of war and international law, as the army is battling charges of war crimes, according to a UN inquiry led by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone, it committed during the Gaza operation.

Last month Tzipi Livni, the leader of Israel’s main opposition party, Kadima, and foreign minister during the Gaza war, cancelled a visit to Britain after an arrest warrant was issued against her by a British court, sparking a diplomatic row.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Tuesday announced that a planned trip to Britain by a group of officers was postponed, urging London to guarantee there would be no criminal lawsuits.