The four unidentified officers, holding ranks from major to colonel, are the latest in a string of Israeli politicians and military officials forced to call off travel to Britain over fears of legal prosecution relating to last year’s offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Britain is one of the European pioneers of universal jurisdiction, a broad legal concept that empowers judges to issue arrest warrants for nearly any visitor accused of committing war crimes.

Pro-Palestinian activists have sought to use this concept to press charges against Israelis involved in military operations in Palestinian territories.

The announcement of the cancellation came yesterday as Britain’s Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, was in Israel on a private visit. She met with Israeli deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who called the situation “intolerable,” adding, “this makes normal relations between the two countries difficult”.

An Israeli statement said Baroness Scotland “is aware of the importance of finding an urgent solution to this issue” and said the British Government was considering options to resolve it.

The Israeli delegation had been invited to visit by the British army. However, officials said they were forced to call off the trip after their British counterparts could not guarantee that they would not be arrested.

Neither the Israeli military nor the British Government would comment.

Last month, pro-Palestinian activists persuaded a London judge to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli politician Tzipi Livni, who was foreign minister during the war in Gaza last year.