Palestinians employ Jewish judge

SYDNEY, Nov. 30 (JTA) — An Australian Jew will help the Palestinians rearrange their legal system. The unusual pairing was created after an Australian legal group, which is headed by a prominent Jewish figure, Justice Marcus Einfeld, was appointed last week by the Palestinian Authority to overhaul its judicial system. Australian International Legal Resources Inc., which was established four years ago, has had links with the Palestinian Authority since Einfeld visited the Middle East in 1995. Einfeld said last week that Australians are regarded as “honest brokers” and “just people who want to help.” Einfeld told the daily newspaper The Australian that in addition to the Palestinians, “the Israelis and the U.S. negotiating team have told us that the Palestinian legal project is a most important contribution to the Middle East peace process.” The group has already helped draft guidelines for the operations of the Palestinian legislative council. It has also helped Israeli and Palestinian police create a forensic laboratory.