Coming to its senses, the British government has assured Israeli officials that they do not have to fear arrest when visiting Great Britain.
Until this week, the elected leaders of the Mideast's only true democracy were under constant threat of being arrested and prosecuted as war criminals when stepping on U.K. soil.
Why? Because a handful of zealots in Britain knew no limits to their anti-Israeli fervor and managed to twist British policy to their will.
It started with Israel's 2008-09 incursion into Gaza, a necessary response to terrorist attacks. "War criminals," the zealots cried just about anytime Israel would strike terrorist strongholds there or on the West Bank.
It continued this year, when Israeli agents reportedly used forged British passports to find and assassinate Hamas terrorist-murderer Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. "War criminals," they cried again, invoking the half-baked policy of "universal jurisdiction," which allows British courts to charge foreign officials with war crimes.
The threat of arrest went so far as to hamper a crucial strategic meeting between the countries, with Israeli officials fearing to travel to Britain.
Of course, the real crime, in the zealots' twisted minds, was that Israel had the gall to defend itself against those who would wipe it off the map.
Thank goodness British Foreign Secretary William Hague, visiting Israel this week, has finally flipped the topsy-turvy world back over again.
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