Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cancelled a trip to Switzerland this week out of fears he would be arrested for his suspected involvement in war crimes in the 2008 Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 report.
Swiss authorities notified the justice and foreign ministries over the weekend that Olmert could be arrested and taken for questioning upon his arrival in Zurich.
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert attends a celebration at Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan in northern Israel on March 31, 2018 (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Olmert initially did not want to cancel his trip scheduled for Monday, and told Israeli officials he would confront the investigation into the 2008 conflict.
“I led a war against terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. After the war, six heads of state and foreign ministers came to Israel to voice their support,” he reportedly told officials.
However, the report says the justice and foreign ministries eventually convinced Olmert that a public war crimes arrest would be hugely embarrassing for Israel and create a potential diplomatic situation.
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