The British government is contemplating legal changes to bar individual victims of war crimes from obtaining warrants for the arrest of suspects. This review of the law was prompted by Israeli complaints following the decision by a London court in 2005 to issue a warrant for the arrest of an Israeli army officer, Major-General (reserve) Doron Almog, who is accused of war crimes.

However, a London-based lawyer, Daniel Machover,* argues that it should be possible to prosecute suspected war criminals outside their own countries.

In a briefing to British parliamentarians, Daniel Machover said that, without the arrest and prosecution of Israeli suspects abroad, civilians under Israeli military occupation would be unprotected by criminal law and impunity will prevail.

To read the full text of Daniel Machover's briefing to parliament, click here. (The briefing is in Adobe portable document format - pdf. You will need Acrobat Reader to view it. If you do not already have Acrobat Reader, you can download one for free here).

For a more detailed argument in defence of the decision by London's Bow Street Magistrates' Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Maj-Gen Almog on suspicion of war crimes, click here.

• Early Day Motion: War Criminals - [British Parliament draft resolution]

• *Daniel Machover is solicitor and partner at Hickman and Rose Solicitors, London.