Daniel Machover

Daniel Machover is the head of civil litigation for Hickman & Rose Solicitors in London and was the co-founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights in 1988. His father, Professor Moshé Machover , was one of the founders of the Israeli anarchist socialist group Matzpen . According to an interview in The Independent , "Close observations of his parents' treatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities - including the strip-searching of his mother - heightened Machover's awareness of the potential for those in uniform to abuse their powers". . Machover's work with prisoners alleging brutality at Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London led to an official Prison Service report, which found that "more than 160 prison officers were involved in inflicting and covering up a regime of torture which saw savage beatings, death threats and sexual assault inflicted on inmates". Machover is representing the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, an independent group based in Gaza City . He gained international attention when the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights attempted to have the Israeli General Doron Almog arrested in London, but failed due to the British authorities having recommended to Almog that he not enter Britain. Machover stated that his firm is gathering evidence all the time and would not hesitate to file charges against other Israeli officers: "Doron Almog is only one of these individuals. [...] This is an issue about justice and about the proper application of criminal law." Subsequent attempts by Machover to arrest Israeli politicians and soldiers on war-crimes charges have been thwarted by the British government, the most recent being an attempt to issue an arrest warrant for former Israel foreign minister and current leader of the opposition, Tzipi Livni. The United Nations Goldstone Report accused Israel of war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza, during its 2008-9 assault on the Gaza Strip. As Israeli Foreign Minister at the time, Tzivi Lipni would be personally guilty of war crimes, were the war crimes charge to be upheld by a British court. Under pressure from Israel and pro-Zionist groups in Britain, the British government apologized to Israel, and offered to alter British law, requiring in the future the approval of the attorney general before arrest warrants can be issued under the laws of 'international jurisdiction'.¹ Making a case for the underdog , The Independent .