UK tried to arrest Israeli general

This is unbelievable, on many levels. This happened back in 2005, but was just publicly reported today:

An Israeli general wanted for alleged war crimes escaped arrest in the UK because police officers feared an armed confrontation with the airline’s armed air marshals.

Documents detailing why the Metropolitan Police failed to act in their own jurisdiction, despite being in possession of a warrant, have emerged today.

They show that the police were unable to obtain advice as to their right to proceed and feared risks to the public if its officers boarded the plane as well as “the international impact of a potentially armed police operation at an airport”.
...
Palestinian campaigners had lobbied for the Metropolitan Police to act over allegations that the general had ordered the destruction of over 50 Palestinian homes in the Gaza strip, in retribution for a Palestinian militant attack. Lawyers argued that this contravened the laws of war protecting civilian property.

I wonder why the same Palestinian groups didn't lobby for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders. You have to also wonder why the UK would have any jurisdiction here at all; could Israel likewise decide to arrest one of the UK's generals for war crimes in Iraq?

In a more hopeful vein, I'm speculating that the real reason the police didn't arrest him was because they thought the warrant was bogus in the first place. Just a thought.