The Red Carpet for Alleged War Criminals
THE CLAIM: The Guardian reports that Australian and Palestinian legal groups are campaigning for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate and arrest retired IDF Major General Doron Almog upon his arrival in Australia with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Almog, currently Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, is alleged to have committed war crimes in Gaza in 2002. THE EVIDENCE: The
allegations against Almog stem from his role as commander of the IDF Southern Command during a 2002 raid in the Rafah refugee camp. This operation resulted in the destruction of dozens of homes and infrastructure, displacing hundreds of civilians, in what Human Rights Watch (2002) documented as a potential violation of international humanitarian law. Importantly, a British court in 2005 issued an
arrest warrant for Almog, which led to his evasion of landing in the UK by remaining on his plane to avoid apprehension, a tactic subsequently revealed by reports in The Guardian (2005) and other outlets. THE CONTRADICTIONS: The discrepancy between the rhetoric of universal jurisdiction—which posits that certain crimes are so grave that any state can prosecute them—and the practical application in
cases involving allies is stark. Australia is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Yet, the expectation of a 'diplomatic incident' often overrides the enforcement of these principles when an allied state's personnel are involved. This effectively politicizes what should be impartial legal processes, rendering 'universal' jurisdiction selectively applied. THE