Doron Almog

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Doron Almog (born 1951) is a Major General in the Israel Defense Forces reserves.

In 1976's Operation Entebbe, he was the first para-reconnaissance commander to land on the runway at Entebbe, marking it for incoming Israeli airplanes, then leading the capture of the airfield's control tower in the rescue operation. In 1984-1985, he participated in the clandestine airlift of 7,000 endangered Beta Israel (or "Falasha") Jews from Ethiopia to Israel in what was known as "Operation Moses". In his most recent post, head of the IDF Southern Command from 2000-2003, he foiled every attempt by terrorists from the Gaza Strip to infiltrate Israel. During his tenure at this post, he also fought for the rights of the Beduin residents of the Negev region. He initiated a special education initiative for Beduin that has allowed many without high school diplomas to complete university degrees. (Beduins make up about 25% of the population of the Negev region and many serve with distinction in the IDF.)

During his time as a commander in the Gaza Strip it is alleged that he ordered the demolition of 59 Palestinian civilian homes in Rafah in retaliation for the deaths of Israeli soldiers, in breach of the Geneva Conventions. The Israeli government has countered that these homes were legitimate targets in that they were being used by terrorists to launch attacks against Israelis, both civilian and military.

On September 10, 2005, as he arrived in London to do fundraising for Aleh, a handicapped services organization with which he is affiliated, Almog learned that a warrant had been issued (by Chief London Magistrate Timothy Workman at Bow Street Magistrates' Court) for his arrest for violating the Geneva Conventions in connection with the home destructions in Gaza. According to Almog "(w)e were about to get off the plane, then one of the stewards came up to me and said the pilot asked that I disembark last. After some time, the chief steward said that the Israeli military attache was on his way and wanted to speak to me. I phoned him and he told me not to get off the plane." Almog was forced to flee Britain without leaving the plane.[1]

The petition for the arrest warrant had been filed by Daniel Machover, acting as attorney for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Machover is the head of Civil Litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors (London), and, co-founder (in 1988) of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. After the failed arrest, Machover demanded an investigation of why police failed to board Almog's plane, and of who leaked news of the impending arrest. Machover also demanded that Israel's Foreign Ministry waive their diplomatic privileges to facilitate investigation. Peter Clarke, the UK anti-terrorism coordinator refused these demands, stating that he lacked resources for such an investigation. The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, apologized to his Israeli counterpart over the attempted arrest, and the warrant has been withdrawn. The Guardian reported that the UK government was "examining stopping private individuals applying to magistrates for prosecutions over war crimes..."

Almog is also the father of a son with severe autism and mental retardation. He is the founder of Aleh Negev, which provides residential, medical and social services to the handicapped of southern Israel.