Another victory for Israel and another failure for the Palestinians, who never miss an attempt to slight Israel.
A Chilean court rejected lawsuits filed in the South American country against three current or former Israeli Supreme Court justices for endorsing the construction of Israel’s security barrier and the alleged seizure of lands and the property on them from Palestinians.
Chile’s Palestinian Federation filed a war crimes lawsuit last week against current Justices Uzi Vogelman and Neal Hendel and retired Justice Asher Grunis, who was president of the court in 2012-15.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that part of the stretch of security barrier is built on land they consider occupied and has separated Palestinians from properties and farmland.
The group contended that Chile’s international agreements allow for suits involving crimes against humanity committed in other countries. But in their ruling, the judges said they did not have the authority to intervene in another country’s court decisions.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Nicolas Pavez, said the group would appeal the ruling.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman earlier said the federation’s lawsuit had no legal basis, and that the suit is yet another publicity stunt by the Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon condemned what he called “the cynical abuse of the legal system to advance a political agenda” and said he expects Chilean authorities will “not to give a hand to such abuse.”
Chile’s Palestinian community is among the world’s largest, with about 350,000 immigrants and their descendants.
Chile in general has adopted an anti-Israel stance at international forums.
Israel began building the security barrier in 2002 in response to a wave of suicide bombings that murdered hundreds of people. Israel says the barrier is needed to keep out Palestinian terrorists. Palestinians claim the structure is an illegal land grab.
By: AP