LONDON: Israeli Embassy officials in London attempted to influence the attorney general’s office to interfere in UK court cases relating to the prosecution of pro-Palestine protesters, documents seen by The Guardian suggest.
Although the documents, obtained through a freedom of information request, have been heavily redacted, an email sent by AGO Director-General Douglas Wilson to Israeli Embassy representatives after a meeting states: “As we noted … the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) makes its prosecution decisions and manages its casework independently. The law officers are unable to intervene on an individual case or comment on issues related to active proceedings.”
Wilson is also mentioned in the meeting minutes as “noting the operational independence of the CPS and the sensitivities of engaging with them on individual cases.”
The email from May 2022 also informed the officials about the contentious Police, Crime, Courts, and Sentencing Act, which imposed onerous restrictions on protest, as well as case law in which judges ruled that protesters accused of “significant” criminal damage could not rely on human rights defenses on trial.
Palestine Action is an activist group that primarily targets the UK factories of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Following the Colston statue protest court of appeal decision in 2022, Palestine Action activists have been convicted in cases similar to those for which they had previously been acquitted using human rights defenses.
The AGO justified the redactions in response to the FOI request by Palestine Action, stating that disclosure “would be likely to prejudice the UK’s relations with Israel,” The Guardian reported.
Palestine Action’s lawyer, Lydia Dagostino, told The Guardian: “The disclosure raises a number of questions, not least whether this meeting was about the direct action group Palestine Action. There clearly needs to be further investigations as to the extent to which there’s been any attempt by any representatives from the Israeli Embassy to influence cases involving activists.”
An Israeli Embassy spokesperson told The Guardian it respected the independence of the British judicial system and “under no circumstances would interfere in UK legal proceedings.”
