Livni is going to visit the United Kingdom

Well, isn't Tzipi Livni a really "brave" lady? And there was the 'Times' informing us on february 4th that Britain is braced for a diplomatic row after a senior Israeli politician (Tzipi) warned that she was "preparing to travel to the UK, where she faces an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes." The article then moves on to tell us that Ms Livni continued by saying that she is doing this neither for hersef nor for the provocation "but for the right of every Israeli to travel freely". while going on to inform all and sundry that she is "not going to be restricted by extremists"because she fought terror" and that the Belgians and Spanish have changed their laws so "now the British know that they have to do so”.

However, we shouldn't be too impressed by the "brave" Tzipi and her phony altruism for as the BBC told us back in the middle of December 'Blighty's' spineless politicians already knew what they had to do with Foreign Secretary David Miliband saying that "Israel was a "close friend" of the UK's and stressed he was keen to "avoid this sort of situation arising again". Moreover, a letter, which John Hillary has published in his blog, from the Minister of State for Commonwealth and Foreign Affairs, Ivan Lewis, to John's local MP, Tom Harris - who apparently thinks that those who want justice for some 1,400 innocents who were slaughtered in Gaza as guilty of a "political stunt" - gives every indication that the invertebrates in Whitehall have no intention of upsetting their Zionist friend. Lewis ends his letter by saying: "We are looking currently at what options are available to us to address this issue (the issue being changing the law to accomodate Jerusalem). I can assure your constituents that any amendment to the current system will not undermine our commitment to ensuring those guilty of war crimes are held to account for their actions."

Of course, what we have here is in fact Orwellian newspeak of the 2+2=5 variety and in a world where Livni "fights terror", Mr Lewis is telling Mr Harris that he can tell the electorate of Glasgow South that we are going to change a law to stop a war criminal being arrested but changing this law will not undermine our commitment to ensuring "those guilty of war crimes are held to account for their actions." "War is Peace," "Freedom is Slavery," "Ignorance is Strength." Furthermore, Zipi has nothing to fear even with no modification to "universal jurisdiction" as it is applied in Britain, for, as the MP for Glasgow South says,  as things stand the onus is on the Crown Prosecution Service to persuade an Attorney General that any prosecution was "likely to succeed and was in the public interest." Moreover, with Baroness Scotland, having visited Jerusalem back in the beginning of January we can be quite sure that she informed her "friends" of her new powers to prevent the arrest of Israeli politicians but "not block action against Nazi war criminals, Afghan warlords or fugitive leaders of genocidal campaigns."

Yes, it is certain that any prosecution of Livni would be blocked, it is as just as certain that the she knows this. Nevertheless, she still finds it necessary to tell the 'Jewish Chronicle' that should the deadline of February 23rd (the Bill to change the law is in the committe stage until that date) pass without an announcement of a change in the law, she will take up one of her many invitations to visit Britain within weeks. Well, it looks as if Tzipi is going to the UK and it looks as if nobody is going to get to arrest her. Still, we can at least console ourselves by giving chase to those other war criminals; those mad warlords from the Hindukush, or at least the ones who happen to be on the wrong side, and then there is Omar Bashir, but not Yoweri Museveni or Paul Kagame, and finally, the handful of 85 to 110 year old Nazis who really should provide easy prey providing they cannot make their getaway in their wheelchairs quickly enough .... and, of course, when Tzipi does come a "nice" little "not welcome" can be prepared for her.