Free Republic

Forty years ago last week, SS-Oberstumbannfuehrer Adolf Eichmann was executed in Israel. He had been arrested at the end of World War II and confined to an American internment camp, but he managed to escape to Argentina. He lived there for 10 years under the name Ricardo Klement until Israeli secret agents abducted him in 1960 and spirited him to Israel. Eight months after his trial opened in Jerusalem, Eichmann was found guilty of crimes against humanity and the Jewish people and was sentenced to death. He was executed on May 31, 1962; his remains were cremated and the ashes...

As the United States prepares to put Saddam Hussein on trial, it may find it useful to examine Israel's experience in bringing a notorious war criminal to court. In May 1960, Israeli agents captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and flew him to Israel to face trial for his senior role in the genocide of six million European Jews. Israel immediately faced a torrent of international criticism. The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously – with US support – to condemn Israel for "endanger[ing] international peace and security." The Washington Post asserted that Israel's capture and planned prosecution...