Seven French nationals have filed a lawsuit against the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, accusing him of crimes against humanity and genocide.
[YESSSS!--Jen]
The seven - all relatives of Jewish victims killed during the current Palestinian uprising, or intifada - said Mr Arafat was responsible for the crimes.
"[Yasser] Arafat had the power and the means to stop acts of terrorism, murders and violence... [but] he organised and paid for them with the money of the Palestinian Authority," the seven families - all French Jews living in Israel - said in a statement.
The statement said Mr Arafat did not have immunity of a head of state under French laws as there was no internationally recognised Palestinian state. [You got that right! And there never will be!]
A specially appointed judge must now determine whether the lawsuit can be accepted and pursued legally.
The statement said the suit included dozens of pages describing circumstances surrounding various "criminal acts, suicide bombings... and car bombs which caused death or injury to the victims of the crimes".
It said video tapes of speeches at Gaza mosques "inciting directly and publicly to kill Jews" and some of Mr Arafat's speeches were also included.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said that as Jews, they considered themselves victims of "a concerted plan aimed at the partial destruction of a racial or religious group, which constitutes a genocide".
Is it too much to hope that this is the beginning of the righteous condemnation and damnation of Arafat and his "disciples" of murder and the end of their reign of terror in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and America? (And yes, I'd like to Yasser's death in there somewhere, too.)
Home
