Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert on Monday pleaded not guilty, denying all the graft charges against him in the first case of its kind in the history of the Jewish state. "In the name of my client, I would like to categorically deny all charges against him," Olmert's lawyer Elie Zohar told the court, according to Israeli media. The 64-year-old Olmert, who was present in court, is the first Israeli ex-premier to face criminal charges. Olmert resigned as prime minister under pressure in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted, but has always insisted on his innocence and told journalists on Friday ... Read Full Story

Israel's ambassador to London said Monday there was a "virus of abuse" towards his country spreading through Britain as he slammed those behind an arrest warrant for former foreign minister Tzipi Livni. It comes after the director of a committee set up by the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip said it was providing information to European lawyers investigating alleged war crimes by Israel in the Gaza war. Livni, the leader of the Kadima main opposition party and the foreign minister during the conflict, cancelled a trip to London last week after an arrest warrant was issued against her by a British court, sparking ... Read Full Story

Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni speaks to journalists as she leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris after a meeting with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy December 3, 2009 Hamas militants helped British lawyers secure an arrest warrant against former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, it emerged today. The Palestinian terrorist organisation admitted providing information to sympathisers who last month handed the information to Westminster Magistrates Court. Ms Livni, who was a cabinet minister during the Israeli offensive in Gaza that started last year, was forced to cancel a trip to London last week. A diplomatic incident was averted only after Ms Livni, now Opposition Leader, ... Read Full Story

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Israel's former foreign minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday that she would "always be welcome" in Britain, after a warrant was issued here for her arrest, his office said. In a telephone call from Copenhagen where he is attending the UN climate change summit, Brown told the former foreign minister he was "disappointed" that she had been unable to visit Britain, a Downing Street spokesman said. Reports said Kadima party leader Livni cancelled the planned trip here at the weekend for fear of being arrested, although her office said the trip was only postponed due to scheduling problems. The warrant ... Read Full Story

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told former Israeli minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday that she would "always be welcome" in Britain, after a warrant was issued here for her arrest, his office said. In a telephone call from Copenhagen where he is attending the UN climate change summit, Brown told the former foreign minister he was "disappointed" that she had been unable to visit Britain, a Downing Street spokesman said. Reports said Kadima party leader Livni cancelled the planned trip here at the weekend for fear of being arrested, although her office said the trip was only postponed due to scheduling problems. The warrant was ... Read Full Story