Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor has canceled a scheduled trip to the UK for fear he would be arrested upon his arrival, Ynet reported Monday evening.
Meridor, who was due to speak at a fund-raising dinner organized by the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre instead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called off the trip after officials in the justice and foreign ministries warned that he may be arrested because the UK has yet to pass legislation preventing the arrest of senior Israeli officials over lawsuits filed by local political elements.
BICOM is an independent British organisation dedicated to "creating a more supportive environment for Israel in Britain."
In December 2009 an arrest warrant was issued in the UK against opposition leader Tzipi Livni over "war crimes" allegedly committed during Operation Cast Lead.
In 2005 Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog arrived in London but remained on board his plane and was forced to fly back to Israel after learning that a local Muslim organization sued him for his "military activity against the Palestinian people."
Last January Israel canceled the departure of a military delegation to the UK after British authorities could not guarantee that IDF officers would not be arrested.
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