The British government on Thursday refuted claims that a law which allows individuals to issue lawsuits calling for the arrest of visiting Israeli officials is set to change next week.

The Jewish Chronicle claimed on Thursday that the universal jurisdiction law - which allows private complaints of "war crimes" to be lodged against military personnel, even if they are not British citizens and the alleged crimes were committed elsewhere - will be amended next week. But a Whitehall source said any change has to be agreed to by Parliament. The source told The Jerusalem Post that the earliest possible time that any amended legislation can be discussed would be the week starting January 25.

"Once a course of action is decided, it then has to go through the regular legislative process, which could take a long time," the source said.

Changes under consideration would not involve deferring decisions on the issue of arrest warrants to the attorney-general, as also claimed by the Jewish Chronicle, the source said. This is because the government needs to retain the ability to issue arrest warrants in cases of war crimes, the source explained.

"Changes to the law will imbue some common sense into proceedings without hindering the ability for bringing war criminals to justice," the source said. "On the one hand, we need to be able to engage fully with those involved in conflicts to bring those conflicts to an end. On the other, we must be able to pursue those guilty of the most heinous crimes and bring them to justice. This is a difficult balance, but one that it's crucial we get right."

The Justice Ministry said on Thursday that "the government is looking at this issue urgently. No decisions have yet been made."

Pro-Palestinian activists in the UK have in the past few years frequently sought to use British law - the International Criminal Court Act of 2001 and the Criminal Justice Act of 1988 - to seek the arrest of Israel officials visiting the UK who they claim have committed "war crimes."

Last month an arrest warrant was issued for opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who was scheduled to speak at a Jewish charity event in London, over her involvement in Operation Cast Lead. She cancelled her trip.

In September, an arrest warrant was issued against Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who was in the UK to address the Labor Party conference.

In 2005, Doron Almog, former OC Southern Command, avoided arrest at London's Heathrow Airport after being warned not to disembark from his flight since British detectives were waiting to arrest him for allegedly ordering the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza in 2002.

In 2006, Gaza Division commander Brig.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who was scheduled to study at the Royal College of Defense Studies in London, was warned by an IDF judge that he could be arrested on arrival and canceled his trip. Former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter also canceled a trip in 2007 out of concern that a warrant might be issued for his arrest.

One of the lawyers involved in the attempt to arrest Israeli officials said the process of issuing arrest warrants to individuals of any nationality suspected of committing war crimes was sound and did not need to be changed.

"The legal tool of obtaining a warrant for the arrest of someone of any nationality who is suspected of committing torture, genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes is an important mechanism to ensure that the suspect is detained in the UK pending a decision by the Attorney General whether to consent to a prosecution," said Kate Maynard, a partner at Hickman and Rose Solicitors in London.
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