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The Guardian: Israel embassy may have attempted to influence UK criminal prosecutions – JURIST

The Guardian reported Monday that Israeli embassy officials may have attempted to influence the prosecutions of pro-Palestine protesters in UK courts, but Israeli officials have denied doing so.The paper received heavily-redacted documents from activist group Palestine Action following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The documents show Attorney General’s Office Director Douglas Wilson told Israeli embassy officials in an email that: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.The Guardian was not able to ascertain the exact request Wilson was responding to.In the same email, Wilson mentions a case where anti-racism protesters in Bristol toppled the statue of a local figure that grew his wealth through slavery. In the case, an Attorney General referral to the Court of Appeal resulted in a ruling which held protesters accused of “significant criminal” damage could not be acquitted using human rights defences.The email communications come after Palestine Action took direct action against Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company. Elbit’s UK division, established in 1966, has been continually attacked by Palestine Action. This armaments firm, known for making drones which the group claims have been “combat–proven” in the Gaza Strip, has been growing its business worldwide.Specifically, activists targeted Elbeit sites in Shenstone and Lichfield. In May 2022, the International Center of Justice for Palestinians outlined in an article by Declassified UK why it seeks to close down Elbit Systems’ UK sites after activists from Palestine Action scaled one of Elbit’s factories in Shenstone in January 2022. Three of the five activists who scaled the factory were later found not guilty in Newcastle-under-Lyme magistrates court in February 2021.The IJCP later released a statement on The Guardian‘s report, saying:The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians strongly condemns the Israeli embassy’s recent efforts to interfere with UK court cases, influence the attorney general’s office (AGO) and pervert the course of justice in relation to court cases involving Palestine Action.An Israeli embassy spokesperson told The Guardian that it “under no circumstances would interfere in UK legal proceedings”, adding that “as part of its ongoing work, the Embassy of Israel raises awareness on severe attacks against entities related to Israel”.