[Published: Tuesday October 06 2009]
Israel minister cancels UK visit
Tel Aviv, 06 Oct-(ANA)-Israeli minister and former military chief Moshe Yaalon has cancelled a UK visit because of fears of arrest for alleged war crimes, his office says.
Pro-Palestinian groups in Britain want Mr Yaalon to face trial over the 2002 killing of a Gaza militant, in which 14 others also died.
Mr Yaalon took legal advice and wanted "to avoid playing into the hands of anti-Israel propaganda", an aide said.
A similar attempt last week failed to get Israel's defence minister arrested.
Mr Yaalon, who is vice prime minister and strategic affairs minister, had been invited to attend a charity dinner held by the Jewish National Fund's UK branch.
But his spokesman, Alon Ofek-Arnon, confirmed that the foreign ministry's legal team had advised against it.
Israeli media reported that the advisers believed Mr Yaalon would not be accorded diplomatic immunity - in contrast to Defence Minister Ehud Barak who visited the Labour Party Conference in Brighton without interference. (ANA)
FA/ANA/06 October 2009---
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