Israel’s top soldier, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, visited Britain earlier this week, the UK government has confirmed to Declassified.
The visit came three days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes”.
Those include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”, as well as “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population”.
Halevi was initially reported to have been included in the ICC’s arrest applications for the crime of having “deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza”. He was also forced to apologise in April after the Israeli military killed seven international aid workers including three Britons in Gaza.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Declassified: “As part of the concerted UK effort, along with allies and partners, to reach a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, the Chief of the Defence Staff hosted his counterparts from Israel and other European partners”.
The spokesperson added: “Discussions included the UK calls for an immediate ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza and the need for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law while recognising Israel’s right to security”.
A ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was announced on Tuesday.
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Special diplomatic immunity
It is unlikely that Halevi would have agreed to travel to Britain without being granted Special Mission immunity by the UK government.
The Ministry of Defence did not answer Declassified’s question about whether Halevi was provided such immunity on this occasion.
Following Israeli pressure, David Cameron’s coalition government changed the law in 2011 to help Israeli officials to visit Britain without fear of arrest.
The UK government has since granted “special mission” immunity to at least seven Israeli officials who have been accused of serious violations of international law.
Those officials have included Netanyahu in 2015 and former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni 2014, 2015, and 2016.
As Israel’s chief of military intelligence, Halevi was also granted special mission immunity to visit Britain in 2015.
The UK government has continued to provide these certificates amid the genocide in Gaza, with former Israeli war minister Benny Gantz receiving immunity to visit Britain in March 2024.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in August that “random Palestinians have been used by Israeli army units in the Gaza Strip for one purpose: to serve as human shields for soldiers during operations.”
It quoted sources saying that Halevi was “among the senior officers aware of the use of Gazans as human shields.”
