Belgium’s ruling coalition failed to pass amendments that would have ended a war crimes lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The amendments would have retroactively forbid Belgian courts from trying people suspected of war crimes if they come from democratic states that allow for a fair trial. Sharon and numerous international leaders, including President Bush, have been indicted in Belgium s wide-ranging war crimes law. The suggested amendments would have removed a major impediment to Belgian-Israeli relations.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
