Al-Arabiya
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies)
Israel's defense minister On Sunday cancelled a planned visit to Paris amid threats by pro-Palestinian groups to have him arrested there.
Ehud Barak was to dedicate a new Israeli booth at the Eurosatory arms fair in Paris, which opens this week.
"The minister cancelled his trip to Paris for the Eurosatory and his meetings with top French officials," his office said in a statement.
Barak had been due to hold talks with his French counterpart Herve Morin and other members of the government.
"Defense Minister Barak decided to stay in Israel until an announcement about the establishment of a team of experts to examine the events surrounding the flotilla," it said, referring to a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound fleet of aid ships.
Pro-Palestinian activists had threatened to try to have charges brought against him for his role in the raid, which killed nine Turkish activists at sea.
Activists have previously tried to arrest Barak and other Israeli officials in Europe under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
That principle allows the prosecution of suspected war criminals in countries that have no direct connection with the events.
The botched pre-dawn raid which took place on May 31 left nine Turkish activists dead and scores injured, provoking a diplomatic crisis for Israel which is facing mounting pressure to re-examine its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Last week, the Israeli military began an internal inquiry into what happened during the deadly naval operation, the conclusions of which must be submitted by July 4 at the latest.
Israel is poised to announce the creation of another committee of experts to oversee a more general inquiry into the bungled operation, but the makeup and mandate of that body is still being debated with Washington.
Eurosatory 2010, which runs from June 14-18, is an international defense and security exhibition taking place in Paris
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