Doron Almog
Encyclopedia
Doron Almog is a Major General
(res.) in the Israel Defense Forces
reserves.
and mental retardation. His autistic son Eran died at age 23 in 2007. He is the founder of Aleh Negev
, a village for the disabled which provides residential, medical and social services to the handicapped of southern Israel. After Eran's death, Aleh Negev's name was changed to Nachalat Eran.
Five members of the Almog family from Haifa: Ze'ev Almog, 71, his wife Ruth, 70, their son Moshe, 43, and grandsons Tomer Almog, 9, and Assaf Staier, 11 were killed in a suicide bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa
October 4, 2003.
In 1976's Operation Entebbe
, he was the first para-reconnaissance commander to land on the runway at Entebbe
, marking it for incoming Israeli airplanes, then leading the capture of the airfield's control tower in the rescue operation. In 1984-1985, he participated in the clandestine airlift of 7,000 endangered Beta Israel
(or "Falasha") Jews from Ethiopia to Israel in what was known as "Operation Moses
". In his most recent post, as head of the IDF
Southern Command from 2000-2003 he secured the border of the Gaza Strip
against infiltration by Palestinian militants..
flight to do fundraising for Aleh
, a handicapped services organization which he helped found, Almog learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest on suspicion of violating the 1949 Geneva Convention in connection with home destructions in Gaza. The warrant was issued by Chief London Magistrate Timothy Workman
of the Bow Street
Magistrates' Court. The petition for the arrest warrant had been filed by Daniel Machover
, acting as attorney for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Machover is the head of Civil Litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors (London), and, co-founder (in 1988) of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. The warrant was considered urgent, and so was not brought before the British Attorney-General
to approve. After Almog's escape, the warrant was cancelled in light of the fact that Almog had left Britain and was no longer under the court's jurisdiction.
Metropolitan Police
counter-terrorism officers were stationed at the immigration desk. Almog was to be arrested when he presented himself, and taken to a police station. News of the plan leaked to the Israeli embassy, and when Almog landed, the Israeli military attache informed him in advance that there was an arrest warrant for him, advising him to stay on the plane and return to Israel. El Al denied police permission to board the plane. Almog and his wife remained on the plane for two hours before it took off for Ben Gurion International Airport
. Police did not board the plane to arrest Almog or prevent the plane from departing.
It later emerged that the senior counter-terrorism officer in charge of the operation had feared for public safety and the diplomatic impact of a potential armed confrontation with Almog's bodyguards or El Al sky marshal
s should police have boarded the plane and attempted to execute the warrant. It was suspected that with a person of Almog's stature on board, there may have been as many as four or five sky marshals on the plane. There was also no intelligence on whether Almog had personal bodyguards. A second concern was the legal implications of boarding the plane after El Al had refused police entry.
After the failed arrest, Attorney Daniel Machover demanded an investigation of why police failed to board Almog's plane, and of who leaked news of the impending arrest. Machover also demanded that Israel's Foreign Ministry waive their diplomatic privileges to facilitate investigation. Peter Clarke
, the UK anti-terrorism coordinator refused these demands, stating that he lacked resources for such an investigation. British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw
apologized to his Israeli counterpart over the attempted arrest, and said that warrant has been withdrawn. The Guardian reported that the UK government was "examining stopping private individuals applying to magistrates for prosecutions over war crimes..." A review by Independent Police Complaints Commission
was unable to identify the source of the leak.
In 2009, Almog was among the Israeli officials investigated by the National Audience, the top criminal court of Spain
, over the 2002 assassination of Hamas
official Salah Shehade. The investigation was dropped on grounds that the attack had already been investigated by Israel.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
(res.) in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
reserves.
Background
Almog is also the father of a son with severe autismAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and mental retardation. His autistic son Eran died at age 23 in 2007. He is the founder of Aleh Negev
Aleh Negev
Aleh Negev is a rehabilitation village for disabled children and adults in southern Israel. Located near Ofakim and covering , it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. The 25-acre village is a mutli-faceted facility designed specifically for people people over the age of 21...
, a village for the disabled which provides residential, medical and social services to the handicapped of southern Israel. After Eran's death, Aleh Negev's name was changed to Nachalat Eran.
Five members of the Almog family from Haifa: Ze'ev Almog, 71, his wife Ruth, 70, their son Moshe, 43, and grandsons Tomer Almog, 9, and Assaf Staier, 11 were killed in a suicide bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa
October 4, 2003.
In 1976's Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
, he was the first para-reconnaissance commander to land on the runway at Entebbe
Entebbe
Entebbe is a major town in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was at one time, the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962...
, marking it for incoming Israeli airplanes, then leading the capture of the airfield's control tower in the rescue operation. In 1984-1985, he participated in the clandestine airlift of 7,000 endangered Beta Israel
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
(or "Falasha") Jews from Ethiopia to Israel in what was known as "Operation Moses
Operation Moses
Operation Moses refers to the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984...
". In his most recent post, as head of the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
Southern Command from 2000-2003 he secured the border of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
against infiltration by Palestinian militants..
2005 London escape
On September 10, 2005, as he and his wife arrived in London on an El AlEl Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
flight to do fundraising for Aleh
Aleh
Aleh is a transliteration from Belarusian Алег of the Eastern Slavic name Oleg. It is sometimes spelled as "Aleg"....
, a handicapped services organization which he helped found, Almog learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest on suspicion of violating the 1949 Geneva Convention in connection with home destructions in Gaza. The warrant was issued by Chief London Magistrate Timothy Workman
Timothy Workman
Senior District Judge Timothy Workman CBE is a leading British judge, a long-term stipendiary magistrate who serves as Senior District Judge and Chief Magistrate for London....
of the Bow Street
Bow Street
Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, Westminster, London. It features as one of the streets on the standard London Monopoly board....
Magistrates' Court. The petition for the arrest warrant had been filed by Daniel Machover
Daniel Machover
Daniel Machover is the head of civil litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors in London and was the co-founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights in 1988...
, acting as attorney for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Machover is the head of Civil Litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors (London), and, co-founder (in 1988) of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. The warrant was considered urgent, and so was not brought before the British Attorney-General
Attorney General of the United Kingdom
There is no position of Attorney General of the United Kingdom, as England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal systems.The term Attorney General when used in the United Kingdom may refer to:...
to approve. After Almog's escape, the warrant was cancelled in light of the fact that Almog had left Britain and was no longer under the court's jurisdiction.
Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
counter-terrorism officers were stationed at the immigration desk. Almog was to be arrested when he presented himself, and taken to a police station. News of the plan leaked to the Israeli embassy, and when Almog landed, the Israeli military attache informed him in advance that there was an arrest warrant for him, advising him to stay on the plane and return to Israel. El Al denied police permission to board the plane. Almog and his wife remained on the plane for two hours before it took off for Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
. Police did not board the plane to arrest Almog or prevent the plane from departing.
It later emerged that the senior counter-terrorism officer in charge of the operation had feared for public safety and the diplomatic impact of a potential armed confrontation with Almog's bodyguards or El Al sky marshal
Sky marshal
A sky marshal is an undercover law enforcement or counter terrorist agent on board a commercial aircraft to counter aircraft hijackings...
s should police have boarded the plane and attempted to execute the warrant. It was suspected that with a person of Almog's stature on board, there may have been as many as four or five sky marshals on the plane. There was also no intelligence on whether Almog had personal bodyguards. A second concern was the legal implications of boarding the plane after El Al had refused police entry.
After the failed arrest, Attorney Daniel Machover demanded an investigation of why police failed to board Almog's plane, and of who leaked news of the impending arrest. Machover also demanded that Israel's Foreign Ministry waive their diplomatic privileges to facilitate investigation. Peter Clarke
Peter Clarke
Peter Clarke may refer to:Peter J. Clarke Born 1946, Owns and operates Clarke Gallery, Newburyport, Ma. www.clarkegallery.com*Peter Clarke , child welfare activist in Wales...
, the UK anti-terrorism coordinator refused these demands, stating that he lacked resources for such an investigation. British Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
apologized to his Israeli counterpart over the attempted arrest, and said that warrant has been withdrawn. The Guardian reported that the UK government was "examining stopping private individuals applying to magistrates for prosecutions over war crimes..." A review by Independent Police Complaints Commission
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
was unable to identify the source of the leak.
In 2009, Almog was among the Israeli officials investigated by the National Audience, the top criminal court of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, over the 2002 assassination of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
official Salah Shehade. The investigation was dropped on grounds that the attack had already been investigated by Israel.
External links
- UK considers curbing citizens' right to arrest alleged war criminals article in The Guardian
- Israeli general stayed on El Al jet in UK to avoid war crimes charges Israel Insider magazine article
- Aleh Foundation: "Doron Almog's Battle on the Home Front"
- PCHR Press Release re failed arrest
- "Lawyer Defends Israeli Major's (sic) Arrest at KSG," The Harvard Crimson, 20 October 2006 Reactions to Almog at Harvard, where he held a fellowship after retiring from the IDF