New Zealand Attorney General stays prosecution of Israeli war crimes suspect, enabling him to evade international justice

A prosecution of an Israeli war crimes suspect was stayed as part of a legal manoeuvre by the Attorney General of New Zealand to prevent the arrest or charge of the suspect while on a visit to New Zealand

Date: 30 November 2006

Moshe Ya'alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November, despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, which is a criminal offence in New Zealand under the Geneva Conventions Act 1958 and International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000.

Moshe Ya'alon is a 56 year old Israeli national who was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005, answerable directly to the Prime Minister. Under his command the Israeli military were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory during its belligerent occupation.

The Court's decision came after years of failed efforts to pursue the suspect through the Israeli judicial system.